Reader comments
Legislator says warming is 'bunk,' touts nuclear power

Anonymous | 8:14 a.m. May 22, 2008

I love it when a small town mayor knows more about science than those who have dedicated their whole lives to the pursuit.

cowboy | 8:24 a.m. May 22, 2008

It's a good thing Al Gore invented Global warming, or it would really be cold now.

50 years ago | 8:54 a.m. May 22, 2008

Back in the 50s and 60s, scientists were predicting another ice age. Now, scientists are predicting a melt down. Seems the "scientific discoveries" have to be dramatic to get media time.

My guess is humans have less control over the earth's cycles than we would like to believe.

How about talking about "clean" energy? I want to have clean water and clean air. I could care less if its 2 degrees warmer or cooler than average.

Comments continue below

js | 9:13 a.m. May 22, 2008

If you're going to quote science at least get it right. Scientists still believe another ice age will come, primarily driven by eccentricities in Earth's orbit. In the 50's and 60's scientist realize that the time between ice ages was typically 12,000 years or so. Seeing as that's about how long it's been since the end of the last ice age there was discussion about how we were 'due'. The popular press picked up the story and overinflated it. No surprise there as journalist typically don't have a very good grounding in science.

The issue today is we human's soiling our own nest. Animal's who do that routinely move to a new nest. But as we don't have another planet handy we'll have to clean this nest up.

Scientists Bad Scientists Good | 9:21 a.m. May 22, 2008

Scientists are dumb and bad when they tell you that your behavior is harming your planet and your children's prospects of living decent lives on it.
Scientists are smart and good when they figure out ways to use up new stuff to replace the old stuff we used up already.

anonyomous | 9:29 a.m. May 22, 2008

I love it how Rep. Mike Noel knows more than the scientists.

The biggest thing I love about him is that he is doing everything he can to push for nuclear power in Utah - what a coincidence that he also stands to profit from it since his company sold water rights to the company that is proposing the nuclear power plants.

Noel needs to stop pushing his own agenda and admit when he has a conflict of interest.

Kanab Lab | 9:51 a.m. May 22, 2008

Now, we don't know that Noel has the foresight of a dinosaur. He may, afterall, be speaking on evidence collected at his state-of-the-art climatological laboratory in Kanab.

Either way, I agree: he should recuse himself.

Ute Alum | 10:22 a.m. May 22, 2008

Put all those guys out on a melting iceburg with a hungry Polar Bear. I agree with js, we are soiling our own nest.
Listen to the story today on NPR Morning Edition on recycling energy, it is most interesting and of course how our gov't has written laws including those in the Clean Air Act to prevent recycling of energy.

Limbaugh | 11:22 a.m. May 22, 2008

To all you Global Warmers, I highly recommend you to read "State of Fear" by the great scientist Michael Crichton.

Global Warming or Not | 11:29 a.m. May 22, 2008

small-town mayor Mike Noel who has no background or education in the science of climatology should be the last person speaking to this committee.

I'm completely open to all arguments on both sides of the warming debate when they come from someone who (1)has studied the issue themselves, and (2)actually has a brain.

Just because he has a potentially profitable connection from selling his water rights to a company wanting to build nuclear plants does not mean he actually knows anything about nuclear power.

Stupid Mike Noel, just another corrupt Utah legislator looking out for his own interests instead of his constituents.' Can't believe how many of these idiots are running our great State.

gp | 11:58 a.m. May 22, 2008

Mike Noel has courage. It takes a lot of guts to oppose this new "environmental religion". He may not be a scientist, but there are a lot of people (including 32000 scientist and technical people, whose petition has just been released)who know that the new religion is not true. Let me say, that following the new religion, and creating new laws to mitigate man made CO2 will bring our country and the world down. They will bring back the dark ages. It is the greatest arrogance to think that mankind can adjust the temperatures of the earth by making laws against prosperity (including human health and happiness)all for the idea that warming will stop. It isn't even known that it is occuring. Thanks Mike Noel, for standing up for what's right, for having the courage to speak out to our new religion preachers. I'll back you up 100%. I say lets have nuclear power. Let's stop making coal out to be the death of mankind. Coal isn't comparable in harm to what the new environmental religion is becoming.

Mike Noel the Expert | 12:20 p.m. May 22, 2008

I didn't know that Mike Noel was a scientist. Why should I believe him over some one more qualified to make these assessments. Mike Noel, Al Gore, or any other politicians are not in any professional position to convince me whether the cause of global warming is man made, natural, or a combination of both. Politicians have special interests at heart whether they be liberal or conservative interests. Common sense tells me that humans are obviously releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and common sense also tells me that this must have some sort of effect, the extent is up for debate by the scientific community not the politicians who are businessmen, housewives, plumbers, or whatever their previous professions. Commons sense tells me not to value the complete and utter opinion of a person making a diagnosis that they are not qualified to make.

Steve | 12:34 p.m. May 22, 2008

Since when is nuclear power "consumer friendly"? Even with decades of billions of dollars in federal taxpayers' subsidies, the once-promised "too cheap to meter" source of electricity is non-competitive in any semblance of a "free" market. Current n-plant cost estimates run from $8 to $12 billion. It's no wonder none have been built in the U.S. in 30-plus years - a good capitalist knows a bad investment when he walks away from one.

SeldomSeenSmith | 1:41 p.m. May 22, 2008

gp: The people who refuse to acknowledge the impact of fossil fuels on the environment are either ridiculously ignorant or intentionally deceptive, and I don't think we want either of those qualities in our political leaders. This is the same legislator who defies the federal government on one hand, defending the illegal use of closed roads, while begging for money on the other hand. You wanna see the dark ages, gp? Let's just let pollution go unchecked, keep getting 90 percent of our energy from dirty coal, and maybe we'll get there fast enough for you to see it.

Susan | 1:54 p.m. May 22, 2008

I think Mike Noel is bunk and always has been.

Science is silly! | 4:04 p.m. May 22, 2008

I've seen documentaries about how the whole moon landing was staged and part of a government conspiracy to fool the Russians. I think global warming is the same thing -- some silly conspiracy to get us off foriegn oil! I want my dollars flowing to the Middle East! I want to be beholden to the likes of Chavez in Venezuela! It makes America proud! I love Bush begging the Arabs for more oil! Global warming advocates simply want us to become energy independent! But that's just silly scientific pie in the sky!

Veronica | 4:43 p.m. May 23, 2008

You need meat, go to the butcher. You need honey, go to the bees. You need advice on backdoor deals to make millions selling water for a nuke plant no one in the area wants, go to Sen. Noel. You need answers to scientific quandaries, well perhaps we should go to scientists.
We value experts for so much. Martha knows how to freeze fruit in ice cubes for brunch. Market analysts are listened to with the raptness of evangelists for investment advice. Rus tells us its a bent tie-rod that causes that shimmy at 45 MPH. Yet climatologists are met with skepticism regarding the POSSIBILITY of negative consequences resulting from global climate change.

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