America's fossil energy | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

In "How America can be top energy producer" (Opinion, Dec. 20), Breitling Oil & Gas CEO Chris Faulkner advocates the easing of regulations on hydraulic fracking, the opening of offshore oil reserves to drilling and approval of the 2,000-mile Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas to change our energy landscape and make the U.S. the world's energy leader.

Faulkner neglects to mention that it will also devastate our natural landscape. Fossil fuels can probably be developed without leaky pipelines, destroying our water supplies and spilling oil into our oceans, but the record is not good.

The remaining fossil fuels are becoming more difficult to extract, causing more damage to our landscape and air. Why put our precious money and labor into developing a diminishing resource?

Renewable sources of energy and the technologies to use them are available, and they can make America the top clean-energy producer and the world leader in preserving the natural landscape. The development of clean, renewable, endlessly abundant sources of energy will provide more jobs that will not be subject to the boom-and-bust cycle typical of fossil fuel development.

Kathryn Albury

Salt Lake City