Andrea DeZubiria - 1-30-2022 - Pick candidates who get climate

Pick candidates who get climate 

January 30, 2022

The “C” word is everywhere now. That’s C for “climate.”

And I’m glad to see it’s being talked about. The article by Seth Borenstein on Jan. 11 spelled out the problem — all the credible experts like NASA and NOAA say our rising greenhouse gas emissions “are making weather-related disasters nastier and more frequent.” The horrendous costs of the damage are clear. The 2020 Yale Opinion Poll showed that 70% of people in Fresno County are worried about global warming (which causes climate change). And over 70% say it will hurt plants, animals and future generations.

What we aren’t seeing enough of is the “S” word. That’s S for “solutions.” 

That same poll shows most people in Fresno County want to see policies that help solve the problem. These include things like tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles and solar panels, funding research into renewable energy and requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a tax on emissions.

We are headed into elections soon. Let’s only elect Valley members of Congress who will support policies like these to protect our air, water and climate, so we can look forward to a healthy future.

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Andrea Farber De Zubiria

https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article257759098.html

Here is Seth Borenstein's AP article which Andrea mentions in her letter:

https://apnews.com/article/climate-wildfires-science-business-health-61ed7fe7d3c52a70fe2b72c881b0d0cf 

Devin Carroll - 1-9-2022 - Appreciating the support on climate

Appreciating the support on climate

January 9, 2022

We thank congressman Jim Costa for his votes to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Build Back Better Act.

Both bills have important provisions that will help America reach our 2030 and 2050 targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The IIAJ, which is bipartisan, includes monies for electric vehicle charging stations, zero emission buses, and cleaning up old oil and gas wells. It adds protections against climate-related disasters, such as wildfires.

It allocates $12 billion for “intercity rail service, including high-speed rail.” Although California’s HSR is not earmarked, Costa is working to secure our share. HSR will bring jobs to our area. Once it gets built, HSR will significantly reduce emissions. This has been a Costa priority for many years.

The House version of the BBBA, passed by Democrats only, has many climate provisions. It has incentives for clean power plants, carbon capture, electric vehicles, rebuilding the electric grid, nuclear power, getting rid of methane leaks, and more. The Senate might even add a carbon fee and dividend, which is strongly favored by economists.

Devin Carroll, Fresno

https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article257084592.html

Lynn Jacobsson - 1-9-2022 - Changing solar rules bad idea

 Changing solar rules bad idea

January 9, 2022

The California Public Utilities Commission wants to allow investor-owned utility companies like PG&E to raise the utility rates for rooftop solar customers. PG&E would cut in half the credit that it pays to owners of rooftop solar and add on a $40 a month “grid participation charge” to connect to the power grid. Here’s what’s wrong about the PUC’s proposal:

1. It is based on pitting homeowners of rooftop solar against other utility ratepayers by allowing PG&E to charge higher rates to non-solar customers in order to continue to favor profits for shareholders and highly paid executives.

2. It puts rooftop solar out of reach for working and middle-class families by lengthening the years it takes to recoup the average cost of $20,000 for solar installation.

3. It is based on the false assumption that the current credits to solar customers go only to wealthy ratepayers, when 42% of installations in California were to households with less than $100,000 in annual income.

4. Perhaps most importantly, by making rooftop solar more costly, it would “cripple California’s ability to meet a legislative mandate to eliminate carbon from the electricity grid by 2045” to fight climate change, according to solar advocates.

Lynn Jacobsson, Clovis

https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article257084592.html