Comments about ‘Utah's own oil disaster’

Well I'm so glad the mayor is all over making Chevron responsible for the spill. Where has the mayor, or the governor for that matter been FOREVER while our coal-fired power plants spew out CO2, mercury, lead and arsenic?

You know it's nice to be a Johnny-come-lately but who is working on the really big issues?

YOU BETCHA I am part of that oil-saturated American viewing public living in the tropics in Florida, your small "drop in the bucket" spill in Red Butte Creek may seem insignificant to what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico every minute of the day and night for almost 60 days now, without a break in sight. Instead of millions of gallons leaking uncontrollably into the Gulf with no immediate means available to stop it, the Salt Lake City leak equaled about 33,000 gallons, and the 2.3 million prople in Utah went crazy over it, because it effected them, and them alone. In the County I live in, out of 67 Counties, 60 sq miles, we have the number of people here alone, then all of Utah has. One last thing. Happy Birthday Deseret News, you did celebrate another birthday. I hope. It was 160 summers ago, on June 15, 1850, that the first News rolled off the press eight pages, measuring seven inches by nine. You could read it in one hand and drive the buggy with the other.

We need MANPOWER here to clean up our BP mess, not just hope.

It's time to address the carbon based energy system that is destroying our planet. It is time to stop pandering to old industries that care nothing for us and create new economic opportunities for society. Will we continue to grovel to big oil or will we take control of our future?

"An oil company ought to be prepared to respond to any sort of problem caused by a leak."

That'll be for what 2010 is remembered.

Word to private sector oil: clean up your act and step in even if it isn't just your mess, because government will rule your business if you don't. The American people will encourage that.

Between oil spills and financial risk management failures, my confidence in the private sector has been shattered. But I don't have confidence in government either.

Why are we failing so egregiously? We just have no concept of risk.

"The state ought to conduct an investigation, as well."

Where is the "state" on this? I have yet to see or hear anything from Governor Herbert or any Utah legislative representative.

'Drill baby! Drill!' - Sarah Palin

'Drill here, drill now!' - Republican party

Lost confidence in the private sector? It looks like overall they have lost confidence in us. No one is standing up for free markets or capitalism, so the private sector isn't standing up for itself. Slowly letting everything slip to state control. Fight for Mother America comrade!

Free markets work just as well for renewable energy as they do for carbon-based fuels. Do you think that OPEC represents a free market? In the USA OPEC would be an illegal entity.

Creating taxes on carbon-based fuels is the whole point of providing market incentives for other energy sources to develop. That is the true role of government, to clear the way for a market economy. The tax is also an effort to represent the true cost of using carbon-based fuels.

We could have a robust and healthy new energy economy that would knock the socks off of anything that dot.com had to offer but we need officials who have a vision and stop succumbing to the idea that there's not a problem or that nothing could be done anyway.

Esquire:

As long as you use plastic products (yes that includes the computer your using to post your comments) you are "groveling to big oil."

Predictable responses.

Plastic can be made from corn, milk and other organic products. It is superior in many ways actually.

They use petrolium because thier profits are higher that way. They get to ignore the negative externalites of course. Just push those off on future generations.

What's are natural deficit up to?

Screwdriver | 4:36 p.m.

It's cheeper to drill miles down to get the oil, refine it, pipe it, distribute it, etc... than to pick an ear of corn???

Give me a break!

If corn were a viable alternative... don't you think we'd be using it instead of petro-chemicals already?

You can make SOME plastics out of corn, but not all. And there ARE drawbacks. And corn is OBVIOUSLY cheeper.

@Screwdriver 4:36 p.m. - "Plastic can be made from corn, milk and other organic products. It is superior in many ways actually.

They use petrolium because thier profits are higher that way. They get to ignore the negative externalites of course. Just push those off on future generations."

It's more than just profits. There are environmental tradeoffs. To make plastic ingredients from plant or animal matter you need land on which to grow and raise the plants and animals, water, fertilizer and feed, waste disposal, etc.

Before we had petroleum, we obtained many of our petroleum-based raw materials from whales. Would you like us to go back to harvesting whales?

I agree that it should be a high priority for Chevron to inspect this entire pipeline. Thirty days to respond to an oil leak in Duchesne County? That is very telling about what kind of company Chevron is.

RE: Screwdriver | 4:36 p.m.


Smart Idea, use up our food supply.


do you really hate the poor so much you would drive up the cost living?

do you realize more cows means more CO2 pollution?