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Show Tpl 9 Community j cmments News last week that Green River was being considered by a new federal agency as the site of what j might become the nation's (and probably the world's) I largest nuclear generating plant was something of a I shocker. It's not known at this point whether or not Utah will participate in the planning effort, which in itself would i almost mean a state endorsement of the federal study, but chances are pretty good that it will. I And I'm sure the whole idea is being met with mixed I emotions in our neighboring community to the north. ' The expenditure of $10 billion dollars for a power plant is no little item. In fact, the spending of a million dollars for a study is a pretty big item for those of us i used to dealing in dollar bills and occasional fives. If the study proceeds, though, you can bet the name of Green River will become nationally and internationally known in a hurry. For those who support the nuclear power program, and I am one of those, it will be looked upon as a great breakthrough for nuclear power. For those whose support of the fossil fuel program makes them opponents of nuclear power generating, the plant in the Emery-Grand desert could be viewed as a threat. And for those whose fundamental makeup makes them opposed to nuclear power generating plants for any number of spooky reasons, the plant could be viewed as a threat to mankind itself. I'm a little 6h ked, though, at the size being kicked around. Putting ill those marbles in one bag might make the job of -ecurity easier, and there is little question that th per-megawatt cost of power production would L reduced in a large plant, but 10,000 to 13,000 meg. watts of production seems like an - awful lot to a country rinter. For some time, eve since Utah's energy council began talking about a nower generating corridor" somewhere in eastern t ah, I have advocated the advisability of placing smaller generating plants in a number of isolated canyons or mesa tops along the flank of the rugged Book Cliffs. Sure, power generating costs would be greater that way, but impacts of many kinds would be more easily mitigated (I learned that word in a BLM environmental statement), if the plants were smaller and more dispersed. And, combinations of nuclear and fossil plants could be alternated, taking advantage of the fuel sources so abundant in both operations in Southeastern Utah. I hope Utah decides to take the Department of Energy up on its offer and gets involved in the study. Hopefully if that happens,' some alternatives to one major generating plant might be reviewed. There's got to be more than one way to break an atom and make electricity. sjU- Moab civic workers who have worked so hard the past few months putting together basic plans on the 1 coming World Invitational Hang-Glider Competition near Moab, are to be congratulated for keeping their ' cool this week following publication last week of a letter ' by a Salt Laker who had not been involved in any of the detailed planning, and who was extremely critical of the ' whole scheme. . ( Connie Caouette, Dixie Barker and a host of others ' have worked hard to come to grips with many of the 1 criticisms mentioned in the letter, and in almost every ! instance, problems have been met head-on, and solved 1 well in advance. Someday it will be pointed out by performance to ' many city folks who don't give us boonie-types much ' credit for readin', writin', and wearing shoes, that ' things can be done just as professionally and comprehensively out here as they can be done in the smoggy metropolitan areas. J At any rate, planning is going ahead. Committee I people have kept their cool, calmly explained things to c the uninformed and have continued moving ahead in a 1 positive manner. And I'm sure that when it all comes off, the event will have a whole lot more positive aspects than negative, thanks to the detailed local ' effort. r |