This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Thanks to President Obama for his efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from coal-fired power plants at a time when both Congress and our nation's utilities have proven unequal to the task ("Obama's anti-pollution plan will have an impact on Utahns," Tribune, June 25).
Looking beyond the smoke and mirrors of Rocky Mountain Power's marketing materials and cute, but hopelessly inadequate, Blue Sky Program, it's obvious that Utahns stand to benefit greatly from the president's new pollution-control plan.
Roughly two-thirds of our power from Rocky Mountain Power comes from coal. The electricity that powers our homes and offices is simultaneously poisoning our air, inducing asthma, contributing to global warming and placing Utah and the Southwest at ground zero for longer and hotter droughts.
Rocky Mountain has refused to significantly invest in clean renewable energy.
The utility recently elected not to plan for any investments in renewables for at least another decade, instead choosing to continue limping along on a handful of 50-year-old power plants.
Thank goodness our president is willing to lead the way when our utilities have failed us.
Steve Shuput
Salt Lake City