Letters: A chance to rebuild after COVID-19; Pandemic profiteering?

A chance to rebuild after COVID-19

This expands on Peter Eavis’ New York Times article from Sunday’s CDT. He fairly portrays a shaky economic forecast for natural gas companies and rural economies in Pennsylvania. Producers were in decline before the onslaught of COVID-19. They drilled too many gas wells and assumed too much debt. We will learn valuable lessons from the current pandemic, and we have a chance to build a more sustainable, equitable and environmentally-sensitive future in Pennsylvania.

As Marcellus ramped up in 2007, I participated in stakeholder discussions about how anticipated revenues could mitigate negative impacts and increase vitality in rural communities. A proposed severance tax of about 7-9% would designate 1/3 for the state treasury, and 1/3 for municipalities for infrastructure (not just road repair from truck traffic, but also developing clean water supplies, and treating industrial wastewater), education, broadband communications and social amenities. The last 1/3 would protect and restore our renewable natural resources. Agencies would be funded for increased permitting and oversight, and address potential degradation. Outreach to rural landowners would help them navigate leases, sales, traffic and noise pollution from NG production. Then Governor Corbin and his legislative cohort nixed a severance tax on NG production, leaving Pennsylvania still the only major producing state without one. This has left more scars than necessary.

As we recover from the unknown depths of COVID-19, let’s reimagine more sustainable, equitable, healthy livelihoods and build resilient capacities into our food, water and energy systems and social networks. What causes are more just, fair and wise?

Pandemic profiteering?

A recent news report concerning the distribution of our emergency federal stockpile raises serious questions.

How are these taxpayer funded supplies being distributed to medical facilities in desperate need of these supplies?

Are businesses and stockholders profiting from our emergency supplies?

Are these supplies being distributed equitably, based on need rather than based on politics?

Jared Kushner (why Kushner?) seems suddenly in charge, saying that federal emergency supplies are “ours” not the state’s (i.e., the American people’s).

The Navy officer in charge of distribution says, “I’m not here to disrupt a supply chain,” Rear Adm. John Polowczyk told reporters at the White House. “We are bringing product in, they are filling orders for hospitals, nursing homes, like normal. I am putting volume into that system.”

What does this mean? Who is this “they” and what is “that system” of which the admiral speaks?

Are our taxpayer funded emergency supplies being put into a business “supply chain” for profit?

Something is very, very wrong here and peoples’ lives are at stake.

Also, reports indicate our elected officials such as senators privy to insider knowledge dumped millions of dollars of stocks before the stock market fell.

Profiteering on the suffering and death of Americans is high crime and treason.

We must demand accountability for anyone profiteering on the COVID-19 pandemic.