OCR Text |
Show III comments... Utah's proposed air quality zone designation plan is really coming under fire, and hearings set to begin next week around the state will undoubtedly be filled with those who (1) object to he zone plan on mainly environmental grounds and (2) those who feel Utah's Air Conservation Committee has done a good, rapid Job of coming up with the Intermountain area's first such outline. Objections of the State of Colorado to the plan are understandable. With a long, contiguous border, there Is no doubt that Colorado and Utah will have to work together to come up with a compromise that both states can live with. For Colorado, however, to classify their entire western border as Class 1 virtually no contamination Is just as unreasonable as they feel Utah's Class 3 designation for land across the line maximum legal degradation. Colorado residents must realize that much of this contiguous border is rich in energy-creating minerals, and some way must be found to utilize those minerals such as coal, uranium, tar sands, oil shale and oil and gas. Objections of the Federal EPA to the plan, however, leave me a little cold. It's like big brother telling us to go out and do something, and then objecting strenuously when we do It In a wayother than big brother would have done It himself to begin with. : One of the hearings is scheduled for Moab. It will be held next Thursday, Jan. 13, at Star Hall beginning at 10 a.m. I'll be out of town that day, but I hope that a whole lot of Moabltes with strong feelings on both sides of the issue will attend, listen to the testimony and explanation of the plan and give their own views. . A whole lot of our future depends on how we develop plans for our air quality, and our residents need to be involved In that planning effort. sjt Moab's Continuing Education Center the sensible answer to small colleges In small towns which has been so successful here over the past few years is planning to poll the community via a questionnaire soon to determine how local folks feel about the program, and to attempt to determine what they would like to see the program become In the future. I hope residents respond to the questionnaire, telling Director "H" K. Hancock, and those he works for what they would like to see in the future, what kind of a job the feel is being done now, and any other comments they feel might be helpful In future planning for the Center. SUCCE, despite its popularity locally, and despite continuing good management and rapport with its parent institution, Utah State University, is not without its critics. Now would be a good time for those who have benefited from the program to stand up and be counted. If anything, we should hope for contnued growth and expansion In this program, and that can only happen If we get full involvement of the communities SUCCE serves. -sjt- The hardy goldfish belonging to the David Christensen family has more lives than a cat. After having been frozen a week or two ago, it was nearly boiled Saturday night when their mobile home was gutted by fire but it survived. I can't believe the hardy critter. -sjt One of the "spin-offs" from the last national election was the public's overwhelming rejection of restrictive laws designed to hamper the development of nuclear energy for the production of electric power. The green light for nuclear power was signalled in six states Arizona, Ohio, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Colorado where the people voted against ballot proposals to hobble nuclear energy. And shortly before, in California, an all-out campaign against nuclear energy was turned back by a vote of more than two to one. Although nuclear energy comprises only a small part of our total power consumption today, It has been estimated that last year alone it saved consumers nearly $2 billion on electric bills. Perhaps more important than the savings of money, however, was the conservation of our natural resources the fact that nuclear energy saved us the equivalent of 12.5 billion gallons of oil, or 80 million tons of coal. In addition, we avoided the pollution of air and earth which would have resulted from the burning of coal or oil. The people at least in 7 states have spoken. Our national goal to increase nuclear production from our present 9 per cent to 50 per cent by the year 2,000 has been set, and it should be reached for. |