Letters: Saving the world while saving Ukraine; Biden had it right

Saving the world while saving Ukraine

There is much to fret over as we witness lives torn apart in Ukraine, hunger, and other war-torn regions worldwide. Worrying about climate change might seem trivial. Unfortunately, it’s not. It exacerbates every problem around the globe. But with tragedy comes opportunity.

Hopefully, we’ll soon help Ukraine rebuild their lives and infrastructure — an unrivaled chance to reimagine an energy system based on renewables and electrification. This opportunity can incentivize us to produce our own clean energy with a path away from the malign influence of Russian fuel on the world’s energy supply. We have no excuse to defer since wind and solar are now as affordable as oil and gas. We can kickstart the transformation by transferring the economic edge we now give to fossil fuel producers to clean energy.

We must push our legislators to help fund upfront costs by switching subsidies from dirty to clean energy and demand that they pass a fee on carbon at the source to reflect the true societal costs of fossil fuel. Returning that fee to citizens as a dividend will protect the most vulnerable from financial burden in this transition.

Let us manufacture solar panels, wind turbines and storage batteries for buildings providing languishing coal and industrial communities jobs. Fortuitously, oil companies have the drills needed for underground geothermal heat.

As the world’s largest energy user, the U.S. should lead the global energy transformation. If we don’t, our children and their children will pay the crushing price.

Biden had it right

When Joe Biden said in Warsaw it was time for Putin to go, he was right. Unfortunately, even before those in charge had a chance to speak with Biden about it, they walked it back.

My long-time friend in Krakow wrote me recently stating “Putin’s methods to attack Ukraine are worse than Hitler. People are being slaughtered and the cities leveled.” He should know. He lived during World War 2 and through decades of Russian oppression. The atrocities in Bucha are further proof that Putin must go.

Instead of fully facing this growing aggression, the U.S. has slow walked and held back assistance to Ukraine that could help Ukraine win. Actions like immediate sanctions on Russian energy, secondary sanctions as those outlined in Senator Toomey’s March 21 op-ed in the WSJ, allowing the Poles to transfer their MIGs, and joining numerous other western nations in guaranteeing the future safety of Ukraine. These measures could save countless lives without the use of U.S. troops.

It appears that those running this administration don’t want to see Russia lose. They have other agendas including an Iran deal that Russia is brokering, helping yet another dictator in Venezuela, and pursuing a failed green energy policy while the environmental and social disasters of war rage on. The lack of U.S. foreign policy leadership is staggering.

The world desperately needs a regime change in Moscow, and also in Washington.

Fenchak’s goals align with PSU alumni

As a PSU alum and voter, I am casting my vote for Barry Fenchak for Penn State trustee. Barry’s credentials as a public servant and involved alumni have been well documented over the past couple years. Barry has regularly attended board of trustee meetings and has been publicly sharing articulate, detailed summaries, analyses and opinions on each of the committee sessions for alumni, parents, students etc. to stay informed. His many reports include past PSU stats and financials as well as comparisons with other Big 10 schools, to give his readers scope and context. PSU is trailing in many categories and sadly, its national academic ranking has dropped year after year.

Barry’s clearly stated goals are in line with what everyone who cares about Penn State wants to see: fiscal responsibility, lower tuition, restored academic national ranking, more value for tuition, transparency and accountability. Barry has sound ideas for solutions and is willing to step up, take action and lead the charge for change. Let’s make Penn State great again. Vote for Barry Fenchak.