Comments about ‘Letters: What about pollution?’

One of the ironic, if sad situations recently was how the Governor's Energy Summit was held in Salt Lake City, shrouded in the polluted inversion caused by the very fossil fuels Herbert promotes as Utah's future. The irony was NOT lost on attendees, including those both for and against fossil fuel development.

While most Utahns largely believe that Mother Nature is at fault for our inversions and that there's nothing humble humans can do about it, two very real economic issues are confronting the Governor's Economic Development Office. One, outside businesses are now turning down offers to come to set up shop in Utah due to our bad air. Even legislators have held hearings about this issue. In short, our air quality is hampering Utah's economic future.

Two, Utahns want the Olympics to come back. Sadly, if the IOC came to Utah in January, Utah would be eliminated from consideration due to its air. Beijing in 2008 was able to clean up its air by shutting factories and eliminating cars from the streets for two months. Doubt if Utahns would be willing to do that for the benefit of hosting the Games.

Man cannot alter the climate in utah. We discuss it time and again in these pages. Therefore, not only is it not our fault, but we surely don't have to do anything about it.

We can't stop inversions but we can improve what we are breathing, ie see pictures of the 40's when everyone used Utah "clean coal". Hiding our heads in the proverbial sand because business might balk will do nothing to improve the average 'Joe's' life.

@ Hutterite: Denying that a problem exists doesn't make it so. You can choose to be part of the solution, or you can continue to be part of the problem, but you can't deny your way out of reality. It's time to get a clue.

They will give away gas masks for inversions if hundreds die.

It makes little sense to reduce pollution just to accommodate new businesses or the Olympics; those endeavors will just add more pollution to the air, water, and land.

As pollution standards get stricter, new businesses will be unable to locate anywhere, that's why so many of our good-paying jobs have gone overseas the past two decades. More will surely follow, if the environmentalists continue to have their way.

The solution is worse than the smog, folks.

Here is what we would have to do-

On the first day of every high pressure, ban all burning of fossil fuel until the high pressure is over.

That means:

No heat for your house (remember that is was down to -2 and didn't get above 18 for over a week, with no sunshine to warm your house)
No electricity either because your power company burns to make electricity
No driving so you can't leave and go elsewhere
No business can be open, except hospitals and emergency services, but all non-emergency cases would be put on hold.

Basically all life would have to just stop. We would all have to stay home in our freezing cold houses and eat cold food from cans.

That is what it would take folks.

Not feasible.

Corn Dog Said: "As pollution standards get stricter, new businesses will be unable to locate anywhere, that's why so many of our good-paying jobs have gone overseas the past two decades. More will surely follow, if the environmentalists continue to have their way."

So we should give up, because greedy Polluters don't care what they do do the world as long as they can make a buck?
Spoken like a true conservative.

And Badger seems to agree, greed is more important than life, it not all or none by the way, only in a neo con dream.

HVH

"...And Badger seems to agree, greed is more important than life, it not all or none by the way,..."

I no where mentioned money, expense, greed, so I have no clue what you are talking about.

As far as all or nothing, I have no intention of letting you and your ilk select the houses that will get heat and which ones won't, who can drive and who can't, etc. We share the air, so if we decide it is problematic enough to restrict pollution, it seems to me we must share restrictions too. No dictating winners and losers.

But if you want something between all or nothing, we can keep our heat, but the roads must remain empty? Or something like that? Equality and fairness here.