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The Editor's corner by John D'Agostino of August 14 on renewables jolting electric costs was full of misinformation and contradictions.
You mentioned that we shuttered "clean burning coal plants." There is no such thing as clean burning coal, never was. That misrepresentation alone shot your credibility early on.
You then jump to the environmental transformation of Lake Erie brought on by the shuttering of "clean burning coal plants" and other industrial facilities that turned the lake (and the land surrounding it) into a toxic waste dump. So is cleaning up polluting industries a good thing or a bad thing? You seem to think it was a wasted effort since you comment that our waters are now faced with toxic algal blooms and PFOs. Do you not realize that science has established a clear link between climate change and the increasing frequency, severity, and geographic spread of algal blooms? Science has also established a definitive link between climate change and the burning of fossil fuels such as your mythical 'clean burning coal'.
Next, you bemoan the high cost of electricity and further demonstrate your lack of credibility on the subject by cherry-picking renewable energy output on a single Wednesday afternoon, as if that was representative of anything. You seem to imply that renewables that only provide a 'blip' of our power, are the cause of high prices. Renewables, wind, solar, and hydro provide 30%. You ignore that NYISO produced a white paper this year (Impact of National & Global Conditions on Electricity Prices in New York) explaining New York has a high reliance on natural gas turbines and the increasing price of natural gas is responsible for high electricity prices here and in other states.
Finally, you speak of the fact that New York imports electricity from other states and Canada instead of producing it ourselves. Where did you think the coal burned in Dunkirk came from? We imported that power from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Do you not realize that the fossil gas that burns in the power plants that provide over half of our electricity is also imported? Do you not realize that the energy generated from the solar and wind you are so critical of is not imported but homegrown right here in New York?
The costs of power, like the costs of everything else, present a burden on families. The high cost of electricity in New York adds around $130 to $240 per year to family budgets. Studies have shown that the effects of climate change add $900 to $1000 to family costs per year because of increased insurance premiums, higher energy bills, higher taxes because of increasing disaster relief, higher healthcare costs, and rising food prices. It will take responsible journalism to properly educate the public on the causes and effective solutions to address all of these costs. Misinformation is a disservice to the public.
Tom Meara is a Jamestown resident.