Letters to the editor Feb. 27

Transition to clean energy

The Feb. 7 Daily Inter Lake editorial “Montana bipartisan support of Keystone XL is encouraging” brings up some good points. I am always proud when our Montana Senators work together.

And, the KXL pipeline on-again, off-again has been a fiasco. Bush said, “Build it,” Obama said, “Stop.” Trump, “Build.” Biden, “Stop.” We need a bipartisan solution.

Montana has had its share of damage from the fossil fuel industry. It’s no wonder the KXL pipeline is a hot button topic. For years contaminants from coal mining have been tainting Lake Koocanusa and poisoning Colstrip aquifers. Yellowstone River oil spills keep happening.

The Montana Electric Cooperative’s Rural Montana magazine teaches our children that using less energy “helps our environment.”

“Energy Explorers” are to nag parents to wash laundry in cold water and dry it on a clothesline outside. And, feel guilty children if you leave your phone charger plugged in because it’s an “energy vampire.” This negative view of energy is disheartening and the kids’ homework may help but does not solve the problem. I want our children’s future to have plentiful clean energy that does not harm our environment.

The Inter Lake is right; we are not transitioning to clean energy overnight. But, sooner is better so how?

A sensible fiscally conservative solution is the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. It is revenue-neutral and harnesses the power of money and markets. It puts a low but rising fee on fossil fuels at the source and returns it as monthly checks to all citizens. This will accelerate a shift to cleaner, cheaper energy.

Our children should not feel the onus is on them to “help our environment.” And, stop our government bouncing between blocking and unblocking regulations. Encourage Senators Daines and Tester to work together and co-sponsor the Energy Innovation Act.

—Robin Paone, Whitefish

Crazy town

Those that are in charge of running our national government, and huge and powerful Big Tech, news media and others, are determing what’s happening in our country.

Crazy, crazy, crazy...

To say or write anything else is a waste of time.

—Robert Gansel, Rexford

Where did the flu go?

Basically, for several decades in the Flathead Valley we’ve always heard about the total amount of flu virus cases and deaths. Yet, this year we’ve heard nothing about the flu.

So did flu just disappear? Or is COVID a political new name for a virus that has existed for decades?

Seems awful strange that under the flu we were told every year, especially after the SARS virus, that here were no known antidotes. Just curious. Maybe we should all be!

—Steve Allen, Kalispell