Resilient grids
Apparently, Terry Jarrett (“Opinion: Heatwaves proof coal, fuel are workhorses,” July 16) the “vitality lawyer and guide” has by no means heard of battery storage programs. The writer cherry picks a single sweltering day to vilify renewables, but conveniently ignores how wind and photo voltaic paired with battery storage outperforms coal crops throughout peak demand surges. To not point out that coal crops are vanishing resulting from market forces.
As well as, fossil gas infrastructure generally crumbles throughout excessive climate occasions. Bear in mind Texas’s winter freeze debacle when fuel crops froze stable whereas wind generators stored spinning?
Constructing resilient grids requires diversified vitality portfolios, strong transmission networks, and storage options. Stubbornly prioritizing polluting fossil fuels whereas our solely residence burns represents harmful shortsightedness.
Jonathan Quint
Goffstown, NH
Tobacco ban
Proponents of a Generational Tobacco Ban, a scheme supposed to result in complete tobacco and nicotine prohibition in Massachusetts, say it will save the state medical prices related to tobacco use (“Generational tobacco ban proposed,” July 16). It might do no such factor.
These activists fail to contemplate that nonsmokers, in the event that they stay lengthy sufficient, inevitably will fall sick and require medical therapy, maybe much more costly than that of people who smoke. Additionally, long-living nonsmokers most certainly will want expensive nursing residence care that people who smoke who die prematurely don’t.
This explains why, regardless of the current U.S. smoking price being a fraction of what it was within the Nineteen Seventies, the nation’s per capita medical expenditures since then have risen sevenfold.
Stephen Helfer
Cambridge
Fossil fuels
In an op-ed, Chris Talgo of the Heartland Institute says he hopes extra states comply with Louisiana’s lead in passing new laws that favors fossil fuels and impedes the event of renewable vitality (“Talgo: Louisiana’s vitality technique reveals the way in which,” July 13). However current opinion polls say Louisianans usually are not on board with the brand new legislation.
Robust majorities of these polled in 2024 need extra wind vitality (59%) and extra photo voltaic vitality (72%) of their state. A majority additionally mentioned that shifting away from fossil fuels will enhance air and water high quality, and a stable plurality needs the state to do extra to mitigate the consequences of local weather change.
Even in a really purple state, the individuals are bored with the fossil gas corporations calling all of the photographs. Right here in Massachusetts, I hope we don’t comply with Louisiana in its legislative campaign in opposition to clear vitality. On the contrary, I help laws that may create a local weather superfund to get better damages from the firms which have profited from promoting fossil fuels they knew would warmth the local weather. We are able to have a clear vitality future.
Frederick Hewett
Cambridge
