Opinion: Clean electric buses need to be powered by clean renewable energy

To the editor: I would suggest these clean buses come with the caveat that any electricity used will be produced by zero-emissions production, for example solar or wind. We will have then achieved true “zero emissions.” (Re “$138 million to buy L.A.’s first electric buses,” July 22)

Our city may be less polluted from the use of electric buses, but the air in nearby states, which house our huge coal-fired electrical plants, will not.

The increased need for electricity to run our “clean” buses will increase pollution of the air for many Native Americans who live downwind from these huge coal-fired generating plants.

Peter Stern, Culver City

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To the editor: In the story, electric buses are repeatedly referred to as “zero-emission” buses (along with mentions of eliminating emissions or “buses that don’t pollute at all”). This is a misnomer: While electric buses may not spew pollution and carbon emissions directly from their tailpipes, the power plants that supply their electricity certainly do.

Electric vehicles that get their electricity from coal are marginally less polluting than gasoline vehicles, and while in California we do not use much coal, we do use natural gas — which can be just as bad because of fugitive methane emissions.

That is to say nothing of the pollution and emissions costs from mining and manufacturing those batteries.

Zero-emission vehicles are as mythical as perpetual-motion machines or free lunches — the only true zero-emission vehicles are those that are never driven, which is something we should be aspiring to.

Avilee Goodwin, Richmond, Calif.

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To the editor: How about an effective public transit system linking all So Cal communities to MTA lines and rail?

Silver Lake, Beverlywood and numerous other communities are public transit sinkholes.

The L.A. Department of Transportation, the L.A. City Council and our mayor need to champion transit with clean energy, regional carriers and — the missing link — local routes.

Ann Bradley, Silver Lake

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To the editor: Except for rush hours, most buses I see are almost empty and take up precious road space on our streets.

Regardless of the mode of fuel, a considerable part of L.A.’s traffic congestion is due to large, lumbering almost-empty buses that block entire traffic lanes when they stop at curbside.

Metro should deploy more small 10- to 12-passenger vans, which are several car lengths shorter, and can more easily incorporate into traffic flow.

Toby Horn, Miracle Mile

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Real news deserves better play, please

To the editor: Reporter Sarah Wire’s article gave a prime example of what happens when Congress is pushed into late-night antics. (Re “ House scuttles war powers clause,” July 21)

It deserved a more prominent position than B6 of the California section!

K D Peterson, Big Pine, Calif.

Nuts to the nuts’ official designation

To the editor: Considering the recent spate of crude and rude pistachio TV commercials, I wish our governor or Legislature had deleted the pistachio from the list of California state nuts. (Re: “State is quite the nut flacker,” July 22)

The immature creators of those commercials are the real “nuts.”

Kevin McGill, Chula Vista

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