SPEAKING OF COAL...

Utah gets 96% of it's energy from coal. That is why Utah State House members have adopted a resolution to urge Gov. Huntsman to pull Utah out of the Western Climate Coalition, an organization that exists "to identify, evaluate, and implement collective and cooperative ways to reduce greenhouse gases in the region, focusing on a market-based cap-and-trade system." The House members oppose the cap-and-trade system because it will raise the cost of energy in Utah.

Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, who introducted the resolution, irrelevantly stated, "I do not believe in man-caused global warming," then went on to explain that, "Renewable energy, however beneficial, will cost more money."

The fact that Rep. Noel doesn't "believe" in man-cause global warming is irrelevant. He is no scientist nor does he give credence to scientific theory and research, and he is certainly no friend to the environment. Noel has also recently opposed a water conservation bill, he has fought against the Grand Canyon Trust and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and has been fighting the federal government for a decade, trying to turn land designated as part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument into a coal mine. Rep. Noel has effectively proved his disdain for environmental preservation.

Also, the idea that sustainable energy isn't worth it because it costs more is crazy. The switch to sustainable energy is not optional. It is something that we must do to continue to survive on this planet.

Republicans like Rep. Noel are contributing to the increasing impotence of the Republican Party. People are beginning to catch on to the fact that their ideas are outdated and that some real changes need to be made. This clip of Gov. Huntsman illustrates that fact very well:



Happily, Governor Huntsman has decided to ignore the resolution and continue his discussion with the Western Climate Coalition. Gov. Huntsman is the only Republican that I voted for in last year's election, and I am pleased to see him holding his ground. It's interesting that I know a number of Republicans who care deeply about environmental issues, it's just the legislature that hasn't caught on yet.