Letters to the editor for Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014

State needs to take action on food stamps

In regards to food stamps, maybe Mike Willden, the governor’s chief of staff and former head of Health and Human Services, should appoint someone who knows what hunger feels like to head this program!

Marilyn Rich

Carson City

Access to lithium gave Nevada the edge on Tesla

It seems odd that no mention has been made by the media where Tesla will get its supply of lithium for the batteries that it intends to build.

According to Wikipedia (the page was last modified on June 27), “The Chemetall Foote Lithium Operation in Clayton Valley is currently the only operating source of lithium in the United States.” And it is in Nevada. It’s located in Esmeralda County at Silver Peak, and “the mine is being expanded to double the capacity of its lithium carbonate production. The project is funded in part by a $28.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to expand and upgrade the production of lithium materials for advanced transportation batteries.”

Could this be the main reason that Tesla declared Nevada the “winner” in the bid for Tesla’s battery gigafactory even though some states had offered more incentives?

This lithium mine operation destroys many thousands of migratory birds every year when they land on the pond waters that are contaminated with saline and heavy metals. The birds ingest those water concoctions and then they die.

Nancy Laird

Washoe Valley