Comments about ‘Letter: Don't expand refineries’

I remember the days of the so-called I-15 emergency, when I-15 was rebuilt fast prior to the Olympics. The gravel pits south of North Salt Lake ran 24/7. We literally ate dirt 24/7. By legislative design dust and chemical pollution regulations are weak. Also by legislative design the Division of Air Quality Monitoring system is incredibly sparse. During the I-15 rebuild we asked for air quality data for North Salt Lake. What we got from them was data for 18th North Street in Salt Lake City! That was the closest data Air Quality could provide. I ascert that the state has virtually no knowledge of the emission status of Davis County refineries. Until the state knows what's going on, I will agree with the writer.

For far too long, the people of Davis County have been subjected to far more than their share of pollution. The people will no longer sit quietly and watch Salt Lake County treat them like doormats.

In this despicable situation, Davis County is saturated with pollution in order to feed the insatiable appetite of Salt Lake County for gas. Davis gets all the pollution, while Salt Lake gets all the benefit. In fact, the left-wing politicians of Salt Lake have ensured that what few refineries they have are as close to the Davis County border as possible so that all the pollution is blown north by the wind.

Davis Davis County will no longer be a slave to Salt Lake. If Salt Lake wants more gas to stuff its insatiable maw, then it must allow refineries to be built in Midvale. Davis County will no longer take the pollution for Salt Lake's greed.

re: JCS

I agree. How dare us selfish lefties in SL Co spoil the beauty of God's country... I mean Davis County.

Seriously, whats next? Restricting the use of Lagoon to residents of northern Davis County?

So no one in Davis County drives cars? Midvale already had a Superfund Site that took years to mitigate. Many Midvale people lost their entire yards. Besides, we here in Salt Lake County got all the Kennecott and Geneva Steel pollution for many years. With mandated pollution controls in place the refineries are way better than years ago.

I guess you both want your $6.00 an hour gas, eh?

I have a perfect solution -- tear down all the refineries and rebuild them to modern specs in Tooele County.

If Davis County residents don't need the jobs and tax base, we do.

This is just another letter from some socialist who feels entitled to everything. Clean air is not for the masses. That's why wealthy folks build their McMansions high on the mountainsides.

Clean air! Bah.

Next thing you know they'll be demanding clean drinking water.

Where's the Tea Party when you need 'em?

Heavy industry has to meet all State and Federal requirements in order to operate. Unless those refineries are violating those regulations, they are allowed to operate.

I live not too far from a slaughterhouse. When the wind is blowing just right, my house is full of slaughterhouse odors.

When the wind blows just right, it smells like Great Salt Lake has invaded our home.

When Camp Williams is performing exercises, we get to "enjoy" cannon blasts.

When Kennecott is blasting, our windows shake and all the dogs in the neigborhood bark.

Of course we would prefer to not have those smells and those sounds interfere with the peace and quiet that we want, but we live in a society that needs meat, that needs military protection, that needs ore from mines. Being a member of this society means that there will be days that are not ideal.

Yes, but with refineries we're not just talking about nuisances, we're dealing with carcinogenic chemcials. Consider health impacts down along the Texas chemical coast.

procuradorfiscal of Tooele, "I have a perfect solution -- tear down all the refineries and rebuild them to modern specs in Tooele County." No Thanks, You are already sending the Salt Lake Valley more than enough weird things from the Depot and Proving Grounds.

We want the gas, just not the refineries, quite a dilemma.

With all these comments from anti-government advocates I wonder who they expect will fix it?

I love the smell of pollution in the morning. I smells like PROFITS!!!

Re: "No thanks, You are already sending the Salt Lake Valley more than enough weird things from the Depot and Proving Grounds."

Problem is, we DON'T have enough weird things. The TOCDF incinerator has shut down, and testing volume is down at Dugway -- not that either facility has ever actually put anything weird in the air. But, so long as East Bench liberals are willing to chase jobs and tax base away from the Wasatch Front, we're ready, willing, and able to benefit from misplaced tree-hugger enthusiasm.

Procuarfordisfisicalistic or whatever --- What about the nerve gas that killed a pile of sheep near Dugway? Why are all those sirens standing around in Tooele County?

"....willing, and able to benefit from misplaced tree-hugger enthusiasm." What a pompous statement. I am politically on the left it's true but I grew up on the Salt Lake City westside just downwind from the 8th South cement plants. This was before stack scrubbers so my mother developed both asthma and a lung infection from them. The EPA and DEQ have dealt with some of the more severe problems, thank the good Lord. So don't accuse me of "tree-hugger enthusiasm." You don't know what pollution can do (and is doing).

Refineries, power lines, exploration roads, drilling rigs, open pit mines...these are all components necessary for energy development. And, as has been discussed under the concept of 'drill, baby', none of these things are off the table anywhere. We want cheap energy and will dance with the devil to get it. NIMBY is not allowed. The only thing we won't consider is energy conservation. So, i don't mind if a refinery is upwind of your house or mine. Or a sour gas well. It's money in my pocket and cheaper energy for you. Or do you want to be called an environmentalist, or worse, a liberal?

Hut, you hit it right on the nose there.

Re: "You don't know what pollution can do (and is doing)."

Bottom line -- neither do you.

Socialists and tree huggers are fond of flogging that concept -- absolutely unencumbered by the slightest semblance of any proof -- to justify one or another ruinously expensive, freedom-destroying control measure.

Those of us that have been here longer than the last couple real estate boom-bust cycles remember actual pollution. And we remember people got through it just fine, even without nanny-state whiners constantly telling us we're victims.

But, since that fact won't support the political soap they're selling, socialists/tree huggers carefully gloss it over.

"Heavy industry has to meet all State and Federal requirements in order to operate."

And if many on the right had their way, there would be NO "Federal requirements."

We would have a free-for-all as business strives to increase profits regardless of who gets hurt.

So, next time someone says "get rid of the EPA" remember that without those pesky regulations, business would put profit over safety EVERY TIME.

But don't you also have all of those kids living near I-15 and Legacy? Could it be that the refineries are not the cause?

See "Asthma statistics puzzle health officials" from the DN in 2007. There they found that Riverdale has a 15.8% asthma rate among kids. Last I checked there wasn't a refinery in Riverdale. What is causing the 13% asthma rate in Salt Lake City? Last I checked they were about 10 miles away from the refineries.

If you can pinpoint the cause, then we can have a meaningful conversation. Just using a single datapoint to justify your cause is wrong.