Letters

I thought I would respond to a letter titled “Defies Logic” [July 31] that criticized one of your columnists as an “environmental alarmist.”

Sadly, global temperatures on average have risen nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit, mostly in the last 65 years, and in places like the Arctic they are 8 to 10 degrees warmer during the summer. Sea levels have risen by 7 to 10 inches in just the last few decades. Those are facts that almost all scientists attribute to fossil fuel use.

Projections over the next few decades are for more of these type of increases. Temperatures may even increase at a greater rate.

From an economic point, this letter muddles many points, the most obvious is that the Sunrise Wind project will not be cheaper ($1.5 billion versus $2 billion, as stated) than the South Fork one just built, which is six times smaller. More importantly, this author doesn’t seem to realize that when one discusses the cost of solar or wind projects, these are upfront costs to produce power for, usually, 25 years, and rate payers are locking in those prices over that time period.

Fracked wells, on the other hand, might last four to five years, with no guarantee of what the future cost will be. The cost is down for natural gas since fracking’s inception, because the fact is that hundreds of billions of dollars have been lost by the fracking industry and its investors. Moreover, the health costs attributed to fossil fuel use are estimated to be over $100 billion annually in just the United States.

It’s ironic that this person complains about federal subsidies, since fossil fuels get over 80 percent of all subsidies globally. Fracking, quite frankly, wouldn’t even exist if the federal government had spent over $10 billion in subsidies to just one company to enable its creation.

Solar with battery backup is the cheapest way to create power in many parts of the country now, and that is the reason it has led in this category the last several years, and why places like Texas are now the leading developers. Perhaps that is why the fossil fuel industry donated over $200 million to the campaign of our current president to try to make its advancement as difficult as possible?

My advice to the author is that if he is truly worried about energy demand increasing, he be part of the solution in his own small way and install solar on his home before the federal tax breaks expire. I did this several years ago and will, hopefully, save 80 percent on my utility bill over 25 years — and that doesn’t even take into account the likely increase in electric costs going forward.

Brad Brooks

Springs