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PG&E changes threaten
solar safety net for many
Re. “Rooftop solar program robs from the poor,” Page A6, Dec. 22:
PG&E and the PUC’s change to net metering will basically mean the end of rooftop solar in California. Do we want that to happen?
Rooftop solar provides clean energy during the highest demand time during the day when offices and factories are running. Rooftop solar greatly reduces the need for long-distance transmission lines and improves the resilience of the grid from the effects of wildfires, storms and earthquakes. During times of disaster, those long-distance transmissions lines can fall over, causing blackouts and brownouts.
The next time we have a disaster like an earthquake or winter storm, you might wish you had solar panels and battery backup for your house, especially if you have vulnerable people at your home requiring power for durable medical equipment.
David Simpson
Fremont
PUC plan punishes solar
users in search for equity
Re. “Rooftop solar program robs from the poor,” Page A6, Dec. 22:
The article says, “Renters and people of color living in poorer areas pay an estimated $200 a year more per household in their electrical bills to cover the cost of the benefits enjoyed by rooftop solar homeowners.”
The PUC plans call for solar users to pay a $480 a year grid fee.
That is more than twice the estimated impact on renters and people of color living in poorer areas.
This is not making things even. It is punishing solar users.
Paul Laughton
San Jose
Manchin’s intransigence
is anything but surprising
As a part-time West Virginia resident, I was not surprised at all by Sen. Joe Manchin’s opposition to President Biden’s Build Back Better proposal.
West Virginians are a dichotomy. While they get the second-highest percentage of federal assistance per capita of any state, they have been programmed to suspect any federal “big government” policies. That means Manchin has little risk of large push-back in the state. On top of that, Manchin is a serious coal baron who took in over $500,000 from his business last year.
So self-interest and voter inconsistency mean he has little to fear from voting against proposals that are very much in the interests of his constituents but in conflict with his personal interests.
Eric Thacker
San Jose
Mobilize U.S. senators
to act on voting rights
Re. “Schumer to tackle Senate blockade,” Page A1, Dec. 21:
Finally, Democrat majority leader Chuck Schumer is planning to bring voting rights legislation to the floor for a vote and to change the Senate rules.
Everything boils down to the actions of two senators, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who are respectively influenced by their fossil fuel and pharmaceutical industry patrons as well as corporate interests. These two senators are going to play for their own self-interests and not for the interest of the country or the citizens.
In 2013 the Supreme Court gutted the voting rights bill, and today the majority of GOP-run states have gerrymandered their districts and rigged to partisan advantage.
Unless the voters urge the senators to act, nothing will happen. It is up to us to mobilize to make the reform happen.
Mohan Raj
San Jose
Columnist’s rants offer
little benefit to readers
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the op-eds, another column by Victor Davis Hanson appears (“Why is left now worried about end of democracy?” Page A7, Dec. 17 ). Along with his insistence on using and misusing the term “woke” multiple times in each and every column, his pieces fail to take on any real perspective or thoughtfully examine a topic.
We can all benefit from credible, personal expression that provides a balance to our own world views and patterns. What offers no benefit to readers is a divisive and increasingly incoherent rant masquerading as informed opinion.
Thomas Emswiller
San Jose
All hands on deck
to defend democracy
Kudos to Patricia Andrews (“Democrats, Americans must mobilize for democracy,” Letters to the Editor, Page A6, Dec. 21) for recognizing the urgency of fighting GOP attacks on democracy and suggesting actions Americans can take.
2022 is an all-hands-on-deck year that will determine whether a minority can solidify its hold on power for the foreseeable future or whether patriotic Americans can stop them.
Todd Gutmann
Sunnyvale
Climate fight depends
on Build Back Better
It is good to see the West Virginia coal miners pushing back against Joe Manchin’s Build Back Better opposition “Coal miners want Manchin to reverse opposition to BBB,” Page A3, Dec. 22). In spite of his claims that he is looking out for his constituents, it is clear that he cares more about the coal companies than the coal workers. We will all suffer as a result.
Manchin says the energy transition is well underway, implying that no other legislation is needed. Not true; we absolutely need aggressive action if we are to achieve our carbon reduction targets.
Come on Senate, trim out the few tax breaks for the well-off, then push BBB through now. Next, tackle voting rights. Without that (the cornerstone of our democratic system), any gains made in the Biden administration will be short-lived.
Tom Calderwood
Los Gatos
Source: www.mercurynews.com