A market strategy urged on warming

The issues of energy and global warming are of great debate and concern for many Utahns, whether what's under consideration is air quality, fuel consumption or how to conserve resources.

However, the head of the largest publicly shareholder-owned company headquartered in Utah raised some eyebrows with his ideas on those topics. Speaking to the Salt Lake Rotary Club during a Tuesday luncheon at the downtown Marriott, Questar Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Rattie made clear his views on how Utah and the nation should approach its energy "crisis" in the coming years.

Rattie clearly takes issue with many of the prevailing opinions regarding global warming.

"I followed the debate (on climate change) closely for over 15 years," he said. "I read everything I can get my hands on. My own research convinces me that claims of a scientific consensus mislead the public and policymakers and often reflect another agenda.

"Yes, the earth does appear to be warming — by about a not-so-unusual and not-so-alarming one degree over the past 100 years."

He went on to say that there have been two periods during the past century that have seen significant climate change, and there has been evidence that humans have probably been the major cause of those changes. But he said that's where the consensus on global warming ends as he sees it.

Rattie puts little faith in those who claim to predict how global warming will affect our planet in the long term.

"No one knows what the impact of warming will be, nor when, where or how easily people, plants and species will adapt to any warming that does occur," he said.

"Of those who claim to know, I suggest Mark Twain's advice: 'Respect those who seek the truth, but be wary of those who claim to have found it."'

He believes markets should dictate how much or how little energy consumers should use. He said history has shown allowing markets and human ingenuity to flourish with minimal government intervention will eventually yield the positive results society says it wants to see.