The Coalition is a public implementation and ownership entity, allowing its members to build essential regional infrastructure elements that span across county lines.

The Coalition’s main roles are to identify revenue-producing infrastructure assets that will benefit the region. Its mission is to plan infrastructure corridors, procure funding, permit, design, secure rights-of-way and own such facilities. Operation and maintenance of these assets will likely be outsourced to third parties. It is contemplated that arrangements with private sector partners will be made in order to share risks and bring specialized expertise to various portions of proposed projects.

All of the seven counties are located in resource rich Eastern Utah. Coming together as a Coalition gives the counties economic and political strength. Within the member counties there are significant challenges that will impact the implementation of vital infrastructure corridors in the future.

These challenges include:

• Limited transportation connectivity
• Environmental issues, such as:
  • National parks
  • National Monuments
  • Wide streams, lakes and other wetlands
  • Archeological artifacts and sections
  • Protected wildlife areas
• Topographic constraints, including:
  • Steep grades
  • Impassable mountain ranges
  • Deep canyons and other difficult terrain features
  • Long distances between resources
• Political differences
• Market volatility
• Public safety

Potential projects may include but are not limited to:

• Roads and highways
• Railroad spurs
• Joint ventures on dry bulk terminals to secure foreign markets for Utah’s mineral resources
• Pipeline projects to reduce the need for heavy trucks on public roads and to reduce impacts on communities along transportation corridors
• Electric transmission and distribution lines
• New and upgraded airports
• Water resource improvements
• Telecommunications and fiber optics

This potential new infrastructure will produce major economic benefits for the citizens of the region. It is anticipated that the Coalition’s shared revenues will add significantly to the quality of life in these Eastern Utah communities. Over time, the Coalition’s portfolio of revenue-producing projects is expected grow, producing consistent revenue to its members. Proper and efficient utilization of natural resources is an important driver of the quality of life in Utah and beyond.