George Pyle: Utah’s golden goose is making a big mess

(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Downtown Salt Lake City is visible (just barely) from the foothills east of the city Friday Dec. 15. The air quality is better than earlier in the week. A storm Saturday could improve the air quality for a few days next week.No political leader wants to be accused of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. To be blamed for doing anything, anything at all, that might so much as slow the economic growth of a community or a state.

But sometimes it is the greatest act of leadership to point out that, in addition to laying all those golden eggs, the damn goose is pooping all over everything and that it might be a good idea, not to kill the magic fowl,…