Editor’s note: This letter is in response to the column, “Natual gas is under seige in Washington state”, published Sept. 25.

I would claim that fossil fuels have put the health of our world under siege with climate warming that is impacting our ability to manage disasters (warmer oceans create more rain, stronger hurricanes) Fossil fuel tailings have polluted our water and air. and impacted our health, especially those who live in communities heavily impacted by pollution from industry and fracking. Health issues have been documented from use of fossil fuels, and natural gas, (which is methane), also impacts health. There is also evidence that having a natural gas stove in the home impacts the health of children, increasing likelihood of asthma.

There is nothing in House Bill 1589 that puts an end to natural gas in the near future. Initiative 2066 (repealing HB 1589) says our natural gas will be taken from us. This is not true. Rather the House Bill is a framework for large utilities to gradually move to methods of providing power that is less and less dependent on fossil fuels.

Natural gas has been promoted for decades as the clean fuel. True, it does not emit CO2, rather it emits methane. Which stays in our atmosphere for a much shorter time than CO2, approximately 7-20 years. But what is different about methane is that the bonds of the atoms move about in a manner that allows more heat to be absorbed. thus warming our climate faster than CO2. Given that we have not stayed below the 1.5° C Paris Accord goal of increasing the temperature of the planet, we need to act swiftly to move us to the least amount of temperature gain. We have the technology to achieve this, and it will take many actions. One being, not using fossil fuels.

Will this cost? Yes, which is why the Climate Commitment Act, which Initiative 2117 is trying to repeal, provides money for residents and communities to get rebates on electric products, develop green projects in communities heavily impacted by fossil fuels, provide charging stations for those who can afford electric vehicles, and get school kids off diesel busses and into electric buses or bio diesel buses. The Inflation Reduction Act (federal) provides tax breaks for purchasing certain products and benefits increase based on lower income.

Passing Initiative 2066 will make it more difficult for our large utility industries to meet goals of consolidating electric and gas, meeting state goals of being off fossil fuels by 2050, promoting the purchase of appliances that will not meet rebate requirements (by 2031 no rebates for natural gas appliances). We need planning to move us to these goals, and the technology exists. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2019/01/15/

Science and the earth are telling us to change how we live and interact with the planet. We need a different relationship with the earth, and its resources to provide a livable space for all humans.

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases#methane

Vote no Initiative 2066.

Peggy LovellFord

Enumclaw