Comments about ‘Let's clear the air’

Purchasing energy efficient appliances will make no difference since the power plants furnishing electricity are not in the immediate valley.

Too often, I hear people say that because Salt Lake and Cache Valleys are "bowls" that trap polluted air, its our geography's fault that we have some of the worst air quality in the nation. Implicitly, they are blaming mother nature rather than man-made causes.

Utah is ripe to lead the renewable energy revolution now unfolding across the nation. Milford's giant wind farm now under construction and Raser's geothermal power plants are just the beginning. Salt Lake's move to the next generation plug-in car technologies is also another start -- imagine how zero-emission cars will impact air quality! Finally, green buildings are also contributing be drastically reducing energy use and our need to burn dirty coal. Utah has some of the dirtiest coal-buring power plants in the nation -- all perfectly acceptable due to our lax environmental and air quality laws.

The free market hasn't cleaned Utah's air, so government needs to step in with more stringent emission standards. A cap-and-pollution payment scheme for CO2 will bring about cleaner air simply because it will spark investments to reduce the burning of fossil fuels in favor of renewables.

The state and cities could help by regulating traffic lights so that one could drive from Lehi to Payson on State Street never having to stop for a light simply by following the speed limit. Canyon road in Provo could also be improved and Center street in Orem and 13th South corridor, 4th north, Eighth north and eighth East, for example. That would also encourage drivers to go the speed limit.

Imagine how much lower pollution would be if we build another fifteen or twenty TRAX lines throughout the valley? Sure, we would have to raise sales taxes to 20%, but it would be worth it.

Imagine how much lower pollution would be if we didn't have 100,000+ illegals and their children in our valley driving on our roads. I will bet you anything this causes more pollution than your fifteen or twenty mass transit lines could ever reduce! But I guess you'd still rather raise our taxes for a government project than address this "other" issue, right? C'mon folks these illegals are like too much furniture in room. You just keep moving it around the room trying to maintain floor space. Sooner or later you realize the problem is not the floor space you have, it is too much furniture.

Its obvious we have over populated this pristine and fragile Utah. Its time we change the real problem. By following the good examples of our neighbors like China & Venezuela we can begin the short road to a better environment by reducing the real problem with regulated housing and growth.

Even is you took all the cars off the roads you would still have pollution. We heat our homes and business's with gas which causes more pollution than cars. Dust blowing around is also considered pollution.

The air is not polluted ... only the minds of some complainers and ne'er-do-wells!

DN, brace yourself-- here come the "conservatives" howling with rage that you would dare suggest reducing pollution. Don't you realize that (a) it's just dust? and (b) it's all in your head? and (c) you're interfering with my cash flow? Isn't it stunning how "conservatives" just LOVE the sight of brown, stinking gunk -- it means $$$!!!

I have God given right to clean air so I can live adequately. Clean coal fired plants, less car emissions, using more renewable energy. We all know the solutions but there has to be sacrifices.

There is no problem conservatives can't blame on minorities, the poor or workers. A Mexican, earning slave wages drives as much as a white guy making 70k a year. If there weren't for "illegals you would be paying $2.50 for an ear of corn.

This reminds me of cultured bacterium. They will keep multiplying until they drown in their own waste.

The Dnews is too liberal. Why would you print this when the environmentalists are liberals who want to take away our freedoms?
We will be blessed if we continue to follow republican leadership and ignore environmental hazards.

@RE: More Mass Transit

Would you mind if we took you to the DI? Getting rid of you certainly would 'clear up' our living room.

NOt exacly sure how paying mexicans more solves the inversion problem.

But liberal logic nevet makes any sense.

It seems it all about HATE and blame the opposition, and the government will solve all the problems by taking money away from people we hate.

Just plain silly nonsense and politics of hate.

@RE: More Mass Transit
Illegals and their children driving on the roads"... Too much furniture in a room? I am appalled by this comment. Your comment is ignorant and asinine. And no, your solution would not solve Utah's pollution problem. Now taking people like you off the roads- that could improve air quality and then some!