Letters: Future economy must be mostly renewable; Demand Pa. legislators work against gerrymandering

Future economy must be mostly renewable

I agree with Forrest Remick’s premise in the Feb. 27th CDT — people need reliable and affordable electricity. I disagree with his conclusion that we must continue to produce most of our electricity with coal and nuclear plants.

Advocating for coal and nuclear is also advocating for climate change, air pollution and production of radioactive wastes. America does not need more of those.

The economy of the future – a sustainable economy – demands most of its energy from renewable sources like solar and wind. And yes these sources are variable in their output and availability. That means an electric grid that can readily move power from where it is available to where it is needed. It also means that we need energy storage systems like pumped hydro, advanced batteries and hydrogen.

The reason we get so little from renewables is mostly political. In 2018, Germany generated 40% of its electricity from renewables (not including hydropower). Denmark was 60%. United Kingdom was 31%. The U.S. was 14%.

Remick, a fellow engineer, suggests that environmentalists should step out of the way, “or be cast aside.” Considering the environment expresses our fundamental engineering ethical responsibility to “hold paramount the health, safety, and welfare of the public.” The public needs a healthy environment to live good lives. I teach my engineering students that nature should always be considered as a stakeholder in our designs. To do otherwise shirks our responsibility to the public.

Demand Pa. legislators work against gerrymandering

As a sixth-grade social studies teacher, I would like to tell my students that every vote counts. However, I cannot truthfully say that in Pennsylvania, one of America’s most gerrymandered states.

Gerrymandering is the process of legislators manipulating district boundaries to keep themselves in office or to silence their opposition. This is not the democracy I’m supposed to teach my 11-year-old students.

Many citizens and groups are working against gerrymandering by supporting an independent, transparent commission to draw legislative districts. Bills are in the Pa. House (HB 22 and 23) and in the Senate (SB 1022 and 1023), but legislators are not acting on them.

Though many current representatives claim that there’s no such thing as an “independent” commission, certainly a group of citizens would be more independent than the current group of senators and representatives whose self-interests are on the map-drawing table.

If you want your Pa. vote fully valued, let your legislators know you expect their support of the House and Senate bills. And keep informed — both the League of Women Voters and PA Fair Districts have information on their websites to help you work against gerrymandering.

I look forward to the day I can teach students democracy the way the founders of the Constitution intended — one person-one vote, equitably valued.

Thankful for dedication to classical music

We central Pennsylvania classical music lovers are among the most fortunate in the world, having easy and low or no cost access to wonderful performances, including three terrific symphonies. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Pat Daugherty of The Tavern restaurant for recently hosting his long-time annual fundraiser for the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, a fantastic event. Patrons enjoyed great food and music.

We would also like to call attention to the School of Music’s weekly newsletter with their schedule of performances. Patrons can search Music Events Penn State online for a free subscription. Many concerts are free also except for a charge for parking.