Letters: Penn State should stay remote; Time for Congress to do its part to curb climate change
Penn State should stay remote for safety
In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Weekly Report dated Jan. 8, 2021, the results of a research study examining the effect of U.S. university openings on related county COVID-19 spread were revealed.
In summary, U.S. counties with large colleges or universities with remote instruction experienced a 17.9% decrease in incidence, and university counties with in-person instruction experienced a 56% increase in incidence, comparing the 21-day periods before and after classes started. Counties without large colleges or universities experienced a 6% decrease in incidence during similar time frames.
Given the arrival of several new mutations of the virus, the scarcity of existing vaccine for the Centre County area, the vaccine’s unknown effectiveness against some of these new mutations, the occasional faulty results obtained by existing testing methods, the impossibility of enforcing 24/7 guidelines involving masks, social distancing, group social events, hand-washing/sanitizing, etc., I am calling on the president, regents, administration, etc., to halt attendance to Penn State for the spring and summer semester of 2021 allowing for only online classes at the students’ home residence. Hybrid instruction will not guarantee lives being saved. We can ill afford yet another outbreak of this virus in our area, which will cost many additional lives!
Time for Congress to do its part to curb climate change
American businesses are taking serious steps to curb climate change.
General Motors recently announced that it plans to be carbon neutral by 2040 by making 40 percent of its U.S. models battery-run by 2025, and powering 100% of its US facilities from renewable energy by 2035.
BlackRock, the world’s largest investment management firm, reported that investments in renewable energy funds increased more than 91% from 2019 to 2020. BlackRock stated that climate risk is investment risk, and urged companies to incorporate assessments of climate risk, and plans for resilience, into their formal company plans.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognizes the urgent need for action on climate change, and believes that Congress should implement durable policies that include market-based mechanisms. An excellent candidate for this approach is the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which charges a fee on fossil fuels when they enter the economy, and returns the revenue to U.S. taxpayers. The proposed fee starts low, at $15 per ton of carbon dioxide produced (about 12 cents a gallon of gasoline, for example), and rises annually by about $10 to $15 per ton, depending on emissions. Military and agricultural uses are exempted from the fee. Economists predict that the bill will decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 36 to 38% over 10 years, thus curbing climate change.
Call or write your members of Congress and ask them to pass this bill.
Thankful for caring commissioners
I greatly appreciate the efforts of Centre County commissioners Michael Pipe and Mark Higgins for their dedication to their constituents. One of the four senior citizens in our home uses the Centre County transportation van multiple days each week. We are treated with respect and kindness by both the van drivers and those in the transportation office. The drivers always “mask up” and deliver our family member safely! The day before the recent snowfall, I called the transportation office about the next day’s possible road conditions. I was told, “if we pick you up, we deliver you home.” It wasn’t snowing upon pickup the following morning, but the return trip home was treacherous. Both our family member and the driver got home safely. We had 18 inches of snow when the storm ended.
Last spring, we requested mail-in ballots for the primary election. We received them, voted and returned our ballots to a drop-off box. We followed the same procedure for the presidential election. We all were thankful to have the option of mail-in balloting with COVID-19 in our midst.
Thank you, Commissioners Pipe and Higgins for caring for all Centre Countians.
