Lumps of Coal
Maybe our Republican overlords missed it, but Russia is using oil and gas as a weapon in its war to take Ukraine. Nations around the world are struggling to move quickly into the alternative energy market, but it will take time. Economics aside, fossil fuels are the No. 1 culprit in climate change, which is shrinking the Great Salt Lake, polluting the air and risking the health and welfare of every citizen. And now, The Salt Lake Tribune points out the dismal truth of Utah's dependence on coal and its role in the state's unrelenting drought. Sixty-one percent of the state's energy generation comes from coal, and natural gas makes up 24%—all this while Rocky Mountain Power is flooding its two coal plants with 26 million gallons of water a day (9.4 billion gallons a year). That's not nothing. But our politicians love coal so much that it doesn't matter. Let this sink it: the lives of their constituents do not matter.
Scold Diggers
There was an interesting story in The New Yorker about the Michigan state Senate race, where candidates are trolling the voters with more of the mean-spirited and paranoid tripe that proliferated after 2016. It's all about staying in—or getting into—office. In Michigan, the narrative focuses on children and how "the left" is trying to sexualize them or blame them for the country's troubled past. Here in Utah, we have only to look at candidates like Trevor Lee, the Davis County state House candidate who won the GOP convention over incumbent Rep. Steve Handy, R-Layton, by calling the governor a "RINO" and maybe transgender at that, a Salt Lake Tribune report says. Then there's Sen. Mike Lee, who along with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, wants to make an issue of service members being drummed out for not vaccinating—even though it's less than 1% of the total workforce. Vaccine and transgender delusions are the latest election fodder.
Primary Colors
The June 28 primary election is coming up, and this time, everyone's watching. Many Democrats aren't Democrats anymore, and Republicans of all stripes have a stake in who wins. So it was good news that the Utah Debate Commission has already scheduled five debates in anticipation. Sen. Mike Lee will use his constitutional oratory to stomp on Becky Edwards and Ally Isom, and it should be something to watch. The John Curtis and Chris Herrod debate will be just as critical, and the Chris Stewart and Erin Rider race ... well, because of partisan gerrymandering—meh. For sure, all eyes will be on Lee, who has been revered and reviled over his hundreds of text messages about overturning the 2020 election. The Washington Post worried out loud about the "kid glove" treatment of Lee. Will the media ask him the tough questions? You can watch debates from 2020 on the commission's website for a hint of what's to come.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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