This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
All right, we can exhale a sigh of relief because the United States is continuing to lead on moral issues by not permitting the Keystone XL pipeline to carry Canadian crude oil across American soil.
Locally, though, to breathe clean air we have to fight harder to help shift to clean energy. Our polluted air here in the valley can, for the most part, be attributed to burning fossil fuels. So this successful campaign against dirty tar sands ties together with local campaigns like Utah Moms for Clean Air and the fight against Utah tax money going to Kentucky corporations to fund Oakland, Calif., coal terminals.
It may seem "alien" to picture a world without coal-burning power plants, but we can meet this challenge. The recent surge in renewable electricity production is an exciting example. As the president said in his announcement: "…even as our economy has continued to grow, America has cut our total carbon pollution more than any other country on Earth."
I'll be in Washington, D.C., this month meeting with Sen. Mike Lee's and Rep. Chris Stewart's staff, so please call to tell them how you, the voters, want a market-based approach that will provide clean air for our children.
Kevin Leecaster
Salt Lake City