Why does usb-creator-gtk require root access?

Solution 1:

Policy Kit foresees the following actions related to Usb Creator

$ pkaction --verbose | grep -A1 '\.usb' | less
com.ubuntu.usbcreator.bootloader:
  description:       Install the bootloader
--
com.ubuntu.usbcreator.format:
  description:       Format the device
--
com.ubuntu.usbcreator.image:
  description:       Image the device
--
com.ubuntu.usbcreator.mount:
  description:       Mount a device

These are actions that only root can execute, given that block devices are owned by root.