We at The Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board try to focus our attention on local and state issues. So do most other newspapers. That doesn't mean we don't often wind up writing about the same things. Viz:
Environmental protection:
— Shut Stericycle: Burden of proof rests with company — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial
Gov. Gary Herbert should move immediately to shut down the Stericycle medical waste incinerator in North Salt Lake. He should then expect the operators of that plant, one of the few such facilities left in the nation, to make the case for him to allow it to reopen. ...
— The Times explores a Sea Change in ocean chemistry — Seattle Times Editorial
Ocean acidification is transforming the world's oceans at a rate that alarms scientists who measure the change and inventory the toxic effects.
Public Lands:
— SITLA reconsiders: Herbert, Bishop efforts get results — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial
When someone wants to deter any part of Utah state government from drilling an oil well on land that would be much better used for something else, it is apparently helpful if some of those someones are known to carry large rifles. ...
— Pass PILT bill — St. George Spectrum Editorial
Southern Utah residents love the landscape that surrounds them. The red-rock cliffs, the pristine, green forests and black rocks left behind by lava flows are such a prevalent part of our day that we far too rarely stop to think about their significance.......But it also means that land can't be developed, meaning there will be no property taxes generated on that land. Those are funds used in most other places to pay for roads, public safety and for the operation of schools.......To make up at least a portion of that deficit, the federal government typically provides PILT — Payment in Lieu of Taxes...... Now, however, the federal government is stalling on authorizing the payment for 2014. ...
The details of democracy:
— Count My Vote: Worthy effort builds strength — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial
... The motivation for the Count My Vote initiative is the well-founded concern that the state's caucus and convention system has limited meaningful participation to only those who are devoted enough to attend first a neighborhood meeting and then a county or statewide convention. That is the process by which the major political parties choose their standard-bearers for offices from county council to U.S. Senate. ...
— Should Oklahoma election laws follow the new independent path of voters? — Tulsa World Editorial
... The state voting population is becoming more independent, but state government is still organized along partisan lines.The Legislature is strictly divided between Democrats and Republicans, and key election laws are predicated on that same binary assumption - if you're a voter, you're either a Democrat or a Republican.The state maintains a closed primary system that allows only Democrats to vote in the Democratic primary and only Republicans to vote in the GOP primary. And those primaries are paid for by the state.Given the registration trends, it might soon be time to reconsider the privileged position of political parties in Oklahoma law. ...
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