5 Responses to “Energy Colonies”

1. Ed Forbes says:

   April 14, 2011 at 11:04 pm

    “…Just ask the people of Pinedale, Wyoming who seem to have made their peace with smoggy skies in exchange for a booming gas drilling town in a region of the U.S. formerly known for its pristine air and views:…”

   WoW….talk about a small world….Never thought Pinedale would make the “news”.

   Grew up in this town…County seat for Sublette County…population of about 950 for years. I still own some property about 10 miles outside that I get back to every so often.

   “Air Pollution” ??? give me a break. Lots of drilling for natural gas, but this does little to the air quality.

2. Tom Gray says:

   April 15, 2011 at 3:22 am

   http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomgray/5611190756/
    
   The above is an illustration of the effect of wind turbines. This is a technology that sill not only dominate our economy but the natural environment as well. Are we willing ti live in an environment is which these installations and similar ones  will be the dominating influence?

3. kdk33 says:

   April 15, 2011 at 6:52 am

   I also know an area rife with new-found shale gas drilling activities.  First I’ve heard of air pollution; I thought it just poisoned the drinking water :-).

   The NYT article is long on innuendo, but short on fact.  Sadly, this is a common feature of much climate reportage.

4. Keith Kloor says:

   April 15, 2011 at 9:38 am

   Ed (1), I guess you haven’t been back in a while.

5. Ed Forbes says:

   April 15, 2011 at 8:16 pm

   Keith,

   couple of things here

   “The Sublette County Commission and the public here in Sublette County are becoming alarmed and concerned with so many alerts and spikes in ozone levels,”

   Ozone levels have not changed much over the years. What is happening is that “recommended” levels are dropping. As the standards change, the number of alerts increase, with little change in actual air quality.

   History of the Ozone Standard vs. PRB
   NAAQS Observed Background

   http://deq.state.wy.us/aqd/Ozone%20Forum/PerspectivesOnBackgroundO3intheWesternUS%5B1%5D.pdf

   This is also only an issue in winter.

   “Wyoming’s winter ozone forecasting season has come to a close.  The forecasting season runs from January through March.  Forecasting will begin once again in January 2012″

   The number of people in winter is greatly reduced from the summer, which is the tourist season. As the last time I wintered over in Pinedale the temp dropped to minus  59d F, it is not hard to see why. So ozone is more of a weather and reporting related issue, not so much an industrial issue.