Phyllis A. McKenna | Why We Can’t Go Cold Turkey on Oil

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
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It is not surprising my letter to The Signal Oct. 13 regarding electric vehicles would rankle virtue-signaling, virtuous, holy-than-thou liberals. Nothing in my letter was not factual. They are still mining lithium overseas, cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and nickel in Indonesia, all used in the manufacture of EV batteries.

I am glad Lynn Wright (letters, Oct. 19) was able to drive all the way to San Jose with just one 20-minute charge. I doubt this would have been possible if and when all cars on the road will be electric. So far California has not been able to keep the lights on in the summer when only 2% of the country’s cars are electric. My question is, do some of the owners of electric vehicles receive a paid incentive to purchase an electric vehicle compliments of the taxpaying public? I think so.

I didn’t know there were talking points provided by big oil. Nice to know, not something I have ever used. The amount of filth and air pollution caused by idling diesel trucks is a documented health hazard, according to Wright. Has that changed since diesel trucks have had to retrofit their engines twice now with a cost to the truckers of approximately $10,000 each time? We now have somewhere around 187 ships off the coast of Los Angeles and Long Beach idling instead, yes I said idling, and dumping their waste into those bays. How environmentally cool is that?

I am glad they are developing new technology for EV batteries, phasing out heavy metals. I hope they are biologically degradable, unlike the spent wind towers that have to be disposed of out in the deserts of Nevada. They are not degradable, ever. One also notes the majority of these wind farms are, in most cases, in poorer neighborhoods rather than in rich areas like Martha’s Vineyard. 

Wright also claims EVs are virtually free to operate. That would be good since they cost so much in the first place, but batteries that need to be replaced at some point are expensive, as much as $10,000 to $15,000 depending on the vehicle. Good luck to the working poor who need to depend on their cars for transportation. And Wright did not say what is to be done with all of the gasoline-powered cars.

Wind farms are extremely detrimental to the environment, they kill birds, are very noisy, and those offshore interfere with fisheries and the (cables could) interfere with whale migrations. They also use lots and lots of oil and require a lot of maintenance. Check it out — I have lots more on this. Solar panels require the sun to shine and wind farms require the wind to blow. 

Think we still need some of the fossil fuels to power our economy.

Phyllis A. McKenna

Stevenson Ranch

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