Reader comments: BLM calls off moratorium on solar applications
13 comments | Read story
byron | 2:10 a.m. July 3, 2008
Forget nuclear power for Utah we have the empty west desert- a renewable never ending non-polluting resource. While it's true solar energy requires a vast amount of land from what I've read it's very evasive to the environment.
Against nukes too! | 4:51 a.m. July 3, 2008
Yeah, Harry Reid is against nukes too -- doesn't he know that waste is a great economic opportunity for America? It creates jobs for building waste facilities and guarding the stuff (for multiple generations -- even our greatest grand children will be thankful that we've created non-outsourcable jobs for them!), business for railroads to ship the waste, and economic opportunities for securing waste from terrorists? Nuclear power waste creation should be a priority over solar as it requires constant maintenance and economic opportunities for all! Solar panels are silly -- they just produce power with virtually no maintenance -- what kind of job creator is that?
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Counting Chickens | 6:59 a.m. July 3, 2008
I am all for solar, but it isn't proven yet that it can supply enough power. Until it does we need to develop all other means, including drilling for oil, and nuclear. Don't count your solar chickens before they hatch.
ST. GEORGE | 7:31 a.m. July 3, 2008
Good decision by the BLM, you know GWB had the moritorium put in place for his BIG OIL buddies.
fr1nk | 8:45 a.m. July 3, 2008
Sorry chicken, but solar IS proven. The technologies are there. Storage is an issue that I think is on the edge of being finalized and efficiency is also going up. The one drawback about solar is cost, but with spiraling energy prices it wont be long until solar will be cost effective (and dare I say profitable).
Morty | 9:57 a.m. July 3, 2008
Wow. What hypocrisy. We remove the moratorium on solar farms, because we can't wait, even though we don't know what they might do, but we won't do so for oil shale. Funny how the same rules don't apply to both sides. Just look at this quote:
""Hitting the brakes before we'd really gotten off the ground was definitely a scary prospect for the industry,"
Doesn't that sound like it would come from someone from the oil shale industry. But no, it was from the solar industry. Time for the enviros to get out of the way.
""Hitting the brakes before we'd really gotten off the ground was definitely a scary prospect for the industry,"
Doesn't that sound like it would come from someone from the oil shale industry. But no, it was from the solar industry. Time for the enviros to get out of the way.
Environmentalist | 12:02 p.m. July 3, 2008
So Harry Reid isn't realy interested in protecting the pristine desert environment. If he gets this moritorium lifted I beleive we will have to turn to the courts to protect this environment.
fr1nk to Morty | 1:14 p.m. July 3, 2008
"We remove the moratorium on solar farms, because we can't wait, even though we don't know what they might do". Prey tell what might they do? I happen to know what they will do. They will sit there and have photons from the sun knock electrons off a metal and send said electrons into our electrical grid. We know what shale extraction will do. Perminantly scar the land, suck up a lot of water, and pay off about 5-10% more energy than it took to get the "oil" (it is not actually oil).
William Moellmer | 3:57 p.m. July 3, 2008
Who says that there are no Fed Solar Projects. Check out the solar powered facilities at Lake Powell at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
to Environmentalist | 4:08 p.m. July 3, 2008
your comment is exactly why people hate you. Environmentalists have been pushing for renewable sources, and then when it might impact "pristine desert environment" you do what you normally do, go draft a crappy pleading, pay a fee, and file a bunk lawsuit all in hopes that you can delay something. You people are not about the good of the collective, just the good of your own views. You are a big reason that people don't want to take environmentalists seriously and why you struggle to get anything done.
Environuts | 4:14 p.m. July 3, 2008
The environuts don't want us to drill for oil, dig for oil shale, create nuclear energy, drill for natural gas or any such thing - their solution has always been wind and solar power. Now that there is a move afoot to create more solar power, they have their panties all in a bunch over that, since the solar panels might have an impact on the environment. We just need to ignore these nut jobs and do what it takes to obtain the energy needed in an environmentally safe and responsible manner - it can be done and we need to move forward. Plow these idiots off to the side of the road and "Let's Roll"!!
Lots of questions | 6:30 p.m. July 3, 2008
So i see a few oil shale advocates here..ahh you all have any evidence that the resource is a viable solution for current problems or you just repeating rhetoric you might have picked up here or there? ( i won't mention any names ;) ) How about some numbers, fact, info, anything.not just OIL SHALE OIL SHALE IS OUR SAVIOR!!!..seriously id like to know what the scoop is on the resource
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