Last June, when more than 30,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into Red Butte Creek and Liberty Park pond during the Red Butte Oil spill, Marilee Latta, who has run the park concessions, rides and boat rentals for nearly three decades, says business was nearly non-existent. But this year, she expects that to change, as the city prepares a celebration to re-open the pond within a few weeks.
When you talk about air quality in Utah, the conversation usually turns to Kennecott Utah Copper, the second largest copper producer in the United States. We talked with Shelley Marshall from Utah Moms for Clean Air and Tim Wagner from Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, two groups that have been sharply critical of the company. We also spoke with Piper Rhodes, Manager of Sustainable Development, Health Safety & Environment for Kennecott.
General Electric was taking hits from all angles this morning at its annual shareholders meeting, held at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Tea Party activists, GE retirees, PETA, and even a state lawmaker had messages for the multinational corporation. And as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, those messages were mixed.
The owners of a ranch in Nine Mile Canyon are trying to stop a second gas pipeline from running through a three-quarters-of-a-mile easement on their property. State law says Bill Barrett Corporation has the right to install the pipeline, but landowners say it will disrupt ranching operations, damage the irrigation system and impact archeological resources. Part-owner Jerry Vaculin says the state has wrongly allowed corporations to act in the role of government.
Utahns who think they can’t afford an energy-efficient home should think again. That’s one of the main themes of this year’s Utah Renewable Energy Conference today at the Salt Palace. Levi Belnap with the Utah Solar Energy Association says he’s committed to making renewable and cleaner energy available to everyone, because he knows people are on a budget.
Democratic Utah Congressman Jim Matheson is teaming up with a Republican lawmaker on a bill aimed at scrutinizing rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. It had its first subcommittee hearing last week.
Governor Gary Herbert is trying to stay one step ahead of rising energy costs. Last week, he unveiled a 10-year energy plan that focuses on continuing to expand traditional fossil fuels and renewable resources. But as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, the Governor was also not shy about his plans to continue to discuss a nuclear power plant coming to Utah.
A number of businesses, Salt Lake City and the University of Utah have been awarded about $500,000 in grants and loans from the Utah Division of Air Quality to increase the use of natural gas in transportation. Lisa Burr, Senior Research Analyst for the division, says the money comes from a clean fuels grant and loan program funded by a petroleum settlement the state won years ago. Several types of energy qualify for the program, but Burr says natural gas is wildly popular in the state.
The commission tasked with improving the quality of the Jordan River and surrounding areas has a new Executive Director. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, her feet are barely wet, but she’s prepared to bring stakeholders together to turn a blighted corridor into a community asset.
While clean energy technology can revolutionize the nation’s power supply and economy, exactly where that power is developed is key to preventing the problem of energy sprawl. That will be the message presented Wednesday night by Jonathan Hoekstra, Senior Scientist with The Nature Conservancy, as part of the Utah Museum of Natural History’s 2011 Nature of Things Lecture Series.
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