This could be a wonderful thing for Salt Lake City and for Utah. The state has created what it calls an inland port authority. The idea is to take the international airport, and fly imports in, and exports out. (As well as to transport them to seaports and other locations via truck and rail.) The idea is to place Salt Lake City in the circle of trade centers such as we have in Los Angeles.
Which is a fine enough idea in and of itself, but here's where it becomes a great idea: If you have open land around a major trade port, you have the lead rope to attract manufacturers. There's all that land stretching west from the airport yet to be developed. It sits right next to our proposed airport port. Ease and convenience is a selling point. If they will be able to easily place their manufactured products on the international market, large corporate manufacturers might be drawn to Salt Lake City. Think of it: They locate in places such as Los Angeles partly due to Los Angeles having sea ports to transport their goods across the ocean. If they have an air port, they might be lured to locate here.
There is a lot I do not know about all this, that I should be commenting on it. I do not know if most manufactured goods are too heavy, and if some are too large and bulky, to go by air. Do we transport them in the slower, ocean fashion because they are too large for a cargo plane to carry? I would guess some things are never transported by air -- automobiles, for example.
What of the price of fuel? Is the cost of fuel for an airplane such that it makes ocean freight more practical?
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