This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Some may believe that inversions are solely a problem of the Wasatch Front and Logan, but they are just as common and frequent here in Sevier County.
They are just not as noticeable, as our air is relatively cleaner. When the big city residents just want to again breathe fresh air, Sevier County is one of the few remaining havens to escape to.
But add a 540-megawatt power plant in our midst and the metrics change quickly. Sevier Valley is closed on three sides by mountains rising 6,000 feet above the valley floor, with the only opening to the north. Guess where the generated pollution is going to head, borne by our prevailing southerlies?
Now, the Utah Division of Air Quality wants to grant air pollution rights to a power plant that is not even intended to supply electricity to anyone in Utah.
Visit our county, the gateway to many national and state parks and forests, and see what UDAQ is willing to despoil.
Dick Cumiskey
Monroe