This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah's "Little Hollywood," the home of "Gunsmoke" and the "Lone Ranger," is waging a modern-day showdown against a California energy company. Residents in Kanab are fighting to keep Viresco Energy from building an experimental coal gasification plant inside their little town.
Businesses in Kanab don't want this proposed energy project because it may harm tourism and real estate. Families are concerned about the dangers of polluted air and water.
Over the past two years, the Taxpayer Association of Kane County has filed three appeals and two lawsuits to stop the project. The Utah 6th District Court will start hearing the next lawsuit later this month.
What's particularly disturbing about the Viresco Energy project is that it is showcased in Gov. Gary Herbert's "Utah's 10-Year Strategic Energy Plan." Shouldn't the people of Kanab have been asked whether they want a toxic coal gas plant in their small tourist town before the project was put in the state's energy plan?
The governor needs to place the communities of Utah first, before inviting out-of-state energy companies to pollute our air and water.
Sky Chaney President, Taxpayer Association of Kane County
Kanab