The Energy Debate

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Tomorrow is the day Washington County residents can formally voice their concerns about plans to construct a new coal-fired power plant just over the Utah border in Nevada. A public hearing will be held on the campus of Dixie State College.

Strong grassroots opposition to the proposed $1.3 billion, 750-megawatt Toquop Energy Project has surfaced in the St. George area. Residents there see Lincoln County Nevada reaping a windfall in construction benefits and taxes, the communities of Las Vegas and Phoenix benefitting from the power generated, and themselves merely on the receiving end of downwind pollution.

They have a right to be concerned. At the same time, the controversy illustrates the way the energy debate in this nation is evolving.

Although coal is abundant, concern about greenhouse gas emissions and global warming is generating genuine interest in other energy sources. A good case can be made for going nuclear. Likewise, clean renewables such as solar and wind are being explored as viable alternatives to fossil fuels.

The battle over Nevada's Toquop plant is a prime example of the complexities involved in meeting modern society's burgeoning energy needs. In KSL's view, it underscores the importance of accelerating the development of viable alternatives to the way most energy today is produced.