Comments about ‘New Albany County wind farm under construction’

Once again I get to pay taxes to subsidize another of the wonderful projects to eliminate the most abundant source of stored energy in America: coal! When will these 'terrific' projects be able to stand alone without the support of the taxpayer. I can only see this project as another sinkhole for opportunists to garner tax dollars with no inkling of payoff on the horizon. W/O profit from tax subsidies no one would even look at wind as an alternative energy source.

Cynic Jim,

Just a little FYI coal is a terrible form of energy production for several reasons. 1-it emits high levels of mercury (which is why we can't eat the fish we catch in Utah any more) 2-it emits lots of radioactive elements.
Firstly I think you're jumping to conclusions by saying that we're subsidizing it. Secondly even if we are subsidizing it we're avoiding higher healthcare costs by eliminating a huge source of pollution. Expenses are expenses. I'd rather pay my expenses in the form of higher taxes (in this case)because the alternative in to pay higher medical bills later on and plus have crappy health. Hmmm... pay $100 in taxes or pay $100 in medical bills plus have crappy health. Hmmm...That's a real tough choice Jim isn't it? But a cynic never really does anything productive for society anyhow, they just like to complain about everything-complain and destroy...ever build something up Jim? Ever make something better? No you sound like a person who wants to pollute the Earth so badly that Jesus won't even want to come back here!

But are you prepared for the environmentalists when they freak out because one of those windmills kills some poor, helpless bird? It's time to ignore the environmentalists, they are extremist nut cases with no grasp of reality, or history, or facts, or science.

to E and E, or should I call you the attack monster,

A new coal plant has controls for bad elements so on your comments:

High levels of mercury. You must mean the new light bulbs we'll be dumping in landfills everywhere.

Radioactive elements. Wrong technology, that's nuclear and BHO just banned safe dumping in Nevada, effectively killing new plants.

Health costs from coal plants. When 19th century Europe burned coal for heat, there was a problem. Today, we have lots of other problems in this century.

But, let's spend $billions on 12th century windmills. Every windmill needs an equal amount of real power generation to cover for when the wind is not blowing. So, we'll spend even more. The subsidy, you supposed health bill, and more for the energy.

Liberals only know how to spend (waste) other people's money.

Regards,
Baby's breath helps the forests grow.

Just think Utah how many YOU made unemployed families and how mant coal miners ya'll just put of business, and how many more you ran out of that State because you don't want them drilling your HOARD of oil, or take it out of rocks either. Rocky Mountain Power is beginning the installation of 19 wind turbines at a new wind farm in Albany County.
The Salt Lake City-based company says the first phase of the McFadden Ridge project will generate a combined 28.5 megawatts of electricity. Because Utah is full of hot air only and they are extremist nut cases non smoker environmentalists, that want to save their parks and critters hogwash.

Use to be Mormon Utah has a oil and coal hoard there and tells the Gov no way your gonna drill in our state protect our parks and living creachers in them, in SD they say it's to costly to get it from rocks, in Palin's state they say protect the polar bears and lands, in the salt water's they say protect the whales. So screw it. Get ready for the next great depression then. Remembering that $100 face value on silver coins is 77 ounces of pure silver melted. In 1918 the Pittman Act authorized the melting of 270 million silver dollars to pay for WWI. A provision in the act stipulated that silver dollars would have to be struck again after the end of the war. To fulfill this requirement the U.S. Mint began striking a newly designed silver dollar in 1921. These dollars had PEACE engraved on the reverse and have ever since been know by that name! These hefty .900 silver coins are in Brilliant Uncirculated condition and are the last dollars struck in silver to be released into circulation. STOCK UP NOW before it's to late.

Some reality is need on this thread: First, Utah is running out of coal; the Utah Geological Survey says that the state has about 40 years of "economically accessible" coal left. You build a coal plant now, you need to have contracts for future coal to be brought in by railroad (so you need diesel fuel to import that coal in) once Utah coal is gone.

Second, coal needs lots and lots of water. With Utah farmers selling their water rights to energy plants, we'll run out of water for food production.

Third, coal is subsidized in many ways from the water it consumes to the railroads that bring it in. Don't forget black lung disease, which exists almost exclusively among coal miners, is largely paid by government sources. Wind by contrast does not rely on the same subsidies -- only a production tax credit that is significantly less!

Finally, coal emits significant mercury, which impacts the fish and ducks in Utah -- sad that hunting and fishing advisories now make it that what I catch and hunt, I can't feed to my family without concerned that I'm giving them toxic food.

@ Reality: Coal is Utah's state rock. There's a reason for it. My great-granddaddy, granddaddy, and daddy all worked in coal mines. I want my children and their children to work in coal mines, but that great future is threatened by "clean" wind. For the last 150 years, coal built this great state! It's created jobs and made electricity cheap. Even one of Utah's Olympic mascots was named for Coal! Wind essentially eliminates coal from the equation -- and that means loss of coal mining, pulverizing and shipping jobs and value added. It also takes a lot of energy to mine, pulverize and ship coal (that is, they create the need for more coal!). And burning coal also creates jobs. Wind essentially eliminates all these wonderful tasks that generate money for Utah.

There was a time when the plums of smoke and smells from the coal-fired power plants were symbols for all that Utah stood for -- industry! Wind turbines don't create those great symbols of industry -- no smoke and smells mean no Utah! And no future for my kids!