Options reconsidered for proposed coal plant

The company that wants to build a controversial coal-fired power plant in Sevier County is reconsidering its options - now that the public has a say in its future.
One option: converting the proposal from coal power to natural gas. Another option is finding a new location.
Residents voted 4,567 to 3,239 last week for a proposition that gives them the right to eventually vote for or against the project.
But Sevier Power attorney Fred Finlinson dismissed that vote, saying the zoning the company wants is for a planned-unit development - not a conditional-use permit. A PUD zone, he said, eliminates the need for a vote.
But, Finlinson said, the matter could still be decided in court.
He said any change in site or how the plant would be fired would require restarting the air-quality-permit process.
Jeff Owens, an attorney for the group that got the proposition on the ballot, agreed that the issue likely will be decided in court.
"It's not finished yet."
Owens claims the company still needs a conditional-use permit - even though it is in a planned unit development zone.
The controversy began in 2000 when the company first proposed the project on a 300-acre site. If built, it would generate 270 megawatts of electricity.
In 2004 the company received an air-quality permit from the state, but its validity will be decided by the Utah Supreme Court.
James Kennon, president of Sevier Citizens for Clean Air and Water, said the proposed plant has divided the community, but he is confident that the public will prevail in stopping it.
"We're one step from doing away with the plant," he said.
mhavnes@sltrib.com

Housing controversy

Groups say rejection of development is a push to keep out poor people; city says that's not so

By Kristen Moulton
The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 11/20/2008 02:21:42 PM MST

Click photo to enlarge

Developer Ron Martinez wants to build apartments along... (Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune )

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A move by the Farmington City Council this fall to rezone several 1970s-era neighborhoods for single-family homes has triggered a rebuke by civil rights leaders.
Their fear: The Davis County community is trying to keep out poor people.
"We're concerned about the larger constitutional issues and policies behind what seems to be a move to push people out of the city," said Marina Lowe, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, who wrote a letter to the council in October.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also wrote to Farmington City, raising similar objections.
Max Forbush, Farmington's city manager, was miffed by the letters, which he said were filled with bad information from a developer, Ron Martinez, who is suing the city over the council's rejection of his project near the FrontRunner station.
Martinez's company, America West Development, proposed a $25-million dollar project with apartments, offices, restaurant, credit union and trails near the FrontRunner station west of Interstate 15.
In August, the council rejected the plan partly because Martinez wanted higher-density housing than the council would allow.
Martinez said he contacted civil rights groups because the zoning changes are anti-apartment.
"It's a cleansing of zoning to disallow and

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discourage apartments in Farmington," Martinez said.
But Forbush said the civil rights groups "shot from the hip."
"We've been mischaracterized and treated unfairly in some of the accusations. We're quite offended that they didn't bother to come and check the facts."
Several of the rezoned neighborhoods have covenants allowing only single-family homes, and there are few, if any, lots left, said city planner David Petersen. Even under the new zones, mother-in-law apartments are allowed as a conditional use in most cases, he said.
In her letter, Lowe said the ACLU was concerned about the effects of rezoning neighborhoods to disallow multifamily housing on low-income and elderly residents who often live in apartments.
"Particularly in light of the severe economic crisis that is plaguing our nation, there is a pressing need to ensure the availability of affordable housing in our communities in Utah," she wrote.
Lowe also said the ACLU was disturbed by a comment of Planning Commission Chairman Kevin Poff at a September meeting.
"Statements such as 'The only thing Farmington hates more than renters is poor people' demonstrate a blatant discrimination and prejudicial attitude toward low-income residents," Lowe wrote in her letter to the city.
Forbush described Poff's comment as "tongue-in-cheek," and Petersen said it was taken out of context. It did not occur in any discussion about the rezoning or about affordable housing, Petersen said.
Poff could not be reached for comment.
Mayor Scott Harbertson said Poff's comment may have been "in jest" and does not reflect Farmington City's view.
But Lowe said Poff's comment is "problematic" - whether it was sincere or a joke about his community.
Petersen said Farmington has "a very diverse housing stock" and is planning for much more multifamily housing in the hundreds of acres around the FrontRunner station.
His staff is working on a plan to bring more-affordable housing to the community, and soon will propose that the City Council tweak the zoning codes to allow "ancillary" uses in all single-family homes.
Under that change, anyone 65 and older could convert part of his or her home into a dwelling for another person or small family, Harbertson said.
"It does two things: It has the ability to help those with lower incomes and it helps seniors on fixed incomes."
kmoulton@sltrib.com

Emery County industrial park will be using state trust lands

GREEN RIVER — Emery County has secured rights to more than 2,500 acres of state trust lands for an industrial park that is a possible site for Utah's first nuclear power plant.

The lease was signed Monday by Kevin Carter, director of the Utah School Institutional Trust Lands Administration, which controls millions of acres of public land granted at statehood.

Transition Power Development chief executive Aaron Tilton says he's looking at several possible sites for a nuclear power plant, including Emery County.

Mike McCandless, Emery County economic development director, says Mancos Resources Inc. of British Columbia is his strongest prospect for a tenant at the 2,547-acre industrial park. Mancos would build a uranium mill.

McCandless says the industrial park also could draw a power plant, an oil refinery and manufacturing plants.

2.76 million

Utah's population as of a census relased today by the UPEC has reached 2.76 million people. Not to shabby Utah.

For 2008, the following counties had the highest population growth rates:
Uintah 5.7%
Rich 5.4%
Piute 4.5%
Morgan 4.1%
Wasatch 4.1%
Summit 4.0%
Juab 4.0%
Duchesne 3.7%
Utah 3.6%
Garfield 3.5%

For 2008, the following counties had the highest population increases:
Utah 18,185
Salt Lake 11,615
Davis 5,886
Washington 3,802
Weber 3,755
Cache 2,819
Tooele 1,678
Uintah 1,640

Use of mineral-lease funds questioned

A state auditor told legislators on Tuesday that Utah's top oil- and gas-producing counties shouldn't receive additional funding they've requested for roads, based on the manner in which they've used federal mineral lease monies over the past five years.

Janice Coleman told members of the state Legislative Audit Subcommittee that Duchesne and Uintah counties have each allocated only 42 percent of all the federal mineral lease and state severance tax monies they received for fiscal years 2003 to 2007 toward transportation projects.

"Since the Uintah Basin has been saying that they need more money for roads, we expected to see a heavy weighting of mineral-related funding toward transportation, but we didn't see that," Coleman said. "We reached the conclusion that their assertions for more road money weren't very compelling."

Uintah County leads the state in natural gas production and generated $234.2 million in mineral lease money for Utah during the audit period. Duchesne County leads the state in oil production and generated nearly $27 million in mineral lease money for Utah during the audit period. Both counties, and the Ute Indian Tribe, also receive state severance tax money through the Uintah Basin Revitalization Fund.

County leaders in the Uintah Basin have appealed to the Legislature in recent years for more money to help with road construction and maintenance. They argue that their budgets can't keep up with the damage done by the increase in heavy truck traffic related to the booming energy industry in the region.

Utah accepts its share of federal mineral release monies — collected from oil and gas exploration companies drilling on federal and tribal lands — through two entities: the state Permanent Community Impact Fund and the Utah Department of Transportation.

The money in the PCIF is distributed in the form of low-interest loans and grants by the state Permanent Community Impact Board to counties and cities that apply for funding and are approved. UDOT though merely receives the money and passes it on to counties, which in turn allocate the money to single-purpose special service districts established to mitigate the various impacts of energy development.

Utah has identified 14 areas, besides transportation, for which mineral lease-funded special service districts can be created, including water, sewer, recreation, health care and fire protection.

However, Coleman noted that there is "intent language" attached by the state Legislature to the money that passes through UDOT indicating that it "shall be used for improvement or reconstruction of highways" in impacted counties. The audit recommends that the Legislature mandate that federal mineral lease monies channeled through UDOT be prioritized toward transportation projects.

carbon fiber bike chain/belt

I just read a CNN article about a carbon fiber bike chain or belt as they describe it. Apparently the chain will last 2 years longer than the average 1 year metal chain lifespan. Also it won't need any grease, which incidentally will piss of the throngs of lubricant manufacturers. This sounds awesome and its even starting as a mainstream product with trek mass producing these bad boys by late December.

My only concern is the wear that could happen from not having a perfectly straight chain line or from the metal rubbing the carbon fiber when changing gears or from the chain rings themselves. The article shows a picture that looks as if the only component to change was the chain. So this would mean that the belt would be running on metal components.

I hope its awesome cause i hate the external grease of bikes. Imagine never accidentally getting chain grease on the interior of your car, pants, shoes or hands!

Drilling lines near Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dinosaur National Monument to be removed. President-elect Barack Obama seems to want to undo a lot of legislation passed by the current administration. The Bush administration has tried to push a lot of energy solutions through at the end of term to ensure they start as the incoming admin is dead set against said plans. These types of politics only further divides between view points and deepens the resistance and negative attitude to a shift from oil based energy to renewables.

Although the oil shale is a viable means of energy it depleates too many resources and causes too much infrustructre damage to continue. Jobs are found just as quickly if current organizations are willing to adapt...so far that proves to be an uphill battle.