Letters to the editor for Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017

Clean energy way of the future

EPA Director Pruitt’s announcement that the “War on Coal” is over was disappointing. There is no “War on Coal,” just an effort to move toward clean, sustainable energy to support our nation into the future. But calling it that makes those poor coal companies sound victimized by us terrible people who believe everyone should have breathable air and drinkable water.

In Saturday’s USA Today we read that pollution kills 9 million people a year worldwide. The good news is it’s fixable through laws and regulations mandating clean air and water, things that we have passed in this country. Unfortunately, they are now being rolled back by Director Pruitt and President Trump.

Coal miners still need work, so we should offer training in well-paid jobs that are in demand and have a better quality of life, rather than pushing them back into the dangerous, life-shortening job of coal mining. Just as horse-drawn buggies gave way to automobiles, and now cleaner running vehicles, coal needs to give way to cleaner, modern forms of energy.

We owe it to ourselves and the rest of world to be part of the solution, not add to the problem.

Vicki Bates

Minden