Utah Congressman Jim Matheson is pressing the Department of Energy on a five-year contract it awarded last year for the removal of 3.1 million tons of radioactive mill tailings from the Moab Tailings Project Site along the Colorado River. Noting that five million tons have been removed in the past three years, the congressman says under this slower pace, the project won’t be done by 2019 as required by law.
Conservation groups say the state of Utah’s attempt to take over federal rights of way is a multimillion-dollar poke in the eye that will only harm the scenic backcountry. Utah officials filed a notice of intent to sue with the federal government last year, seeking rights to more than 25,000 claims across Utah they say are existing roadways.
A controversial plan to connect Utah’s ski resorts is gaining support from local business leaders. A new coalition touts the economic and environmental benefits of joining resorts along the Wasatch Front and Back by a gondola, but the gathering spurred dozens to protest the meeting. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on the new group, which includes the head of the resort behind the SkiLink project.
The new leader in charge of Utah’s 43 state parks and museums is taking on his role at a challenging time. After serving as interim director of the Utah State Parks and Recreation Division for the past four months, Fred Hayes was named Tuesday as its new permanent director, following a nationwide search. What does the future hold for Utah’s state parks system, following severe budget cuts in recent years?
Segment 1: Oil drilling, mining and development of natural resources often divide people along political lines. But what does religion have to say about environmental protections? BYU professor George Handley argues his Mormon faith encourages stewardship of the land. On Wednesday, Handley joins us to talk about the spiritual case for the environment. Guest: [...]
Segment 1: The American West is certainly defined by its deserts and wilderness areas, but its rivers make life in these rugged areas possible. A new KUED Channel 7 documentary captures the essence of five major rivers from the Canadian border to the Rio Grande. On Monday, we’ll talk about the importance of these rivers, [...]
Segment One: The Solitude-Canyons SkiLink plan has been praised by Utah’s GOP Congressional delegation and skewered by environmentalists. And in this election, year the proposal is becoming a political litmus test. On Wednesday we’ll talk about the push for and opposition to SkiLink. Guest: Mike Goar – Canyons Managing Director Segment Two: Forget the doggy [...]
Usually, political candidates who want to go to Washington pledge to put Utah first. But University of Utah engineering professor Joe Andrade, a candidate for the state’s 2nd Congressional District, says he’d put Utah third. He’s says it’s the planet that comes first.
Salt Lake City residents got the chance to follow up on what has happened since the 2010 Chevron oil spill that sent more than 30,000 gallons of crude oil flowing into Salt Lake City waterways. On Friday, the city hosted a pipeline safety conference at The Leonardo, where representatives from local and federal government, the pipeline industry and regulators discussed operations, regulations, prevention, safety preparedness and initiatives.
The official public comment period will close Friday on a decision to allow EnergySolutions to store blended nuclear waste in Utah. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, clean energy advocates HEAL Utah are urging the public to make one final plea to the Governor,, state lawmakers and regulators to reverse the decision.
