In U.S., fossil fuel interests rigging the game

To those who believe we have no right to be opposed to crude oil coming to Grays Harbor because we drive our cars, fly in airplanes, etc., your argument is superfluous. We all know the powerful influence auto manufacturers and oil companies have on politics and how much the fossil fuel industry is subsidized in the U.S.

Currently, there is little choice for those who can’t afford alternatives due to present policy decisions.

Even that is an inaccurate excuse because people seem to be able to afford huge gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks. The true reason is that there is no political will to make a change. The Netherlands announced that by 2025, only electric vehicles will be sold. Its parliament voted to shut down the coal industry. Norway also will ban new gas-burning cars by 2025, and Germany will ban them by 2030. In May of this year, Germany supplied 87 percent of its energy from solar and wind and continues to commit to reducing fossil fuel energy use. The list goes on as more and more countries move away from fossil fuel use.

There was a comment at the last Hoquiam City Council that renewable energy was a fantasy. The only fantasy is in the minds of those who deny climate change and who hold us back from realizing our potential to innovate and create jobs for the 21st Century.

​Mary Kaye Riley

Hoquiam