Letters to the Editor: It’s not just California and New York grappling with an all-electric future

To the editor: This editorial mentions New York and California, but the push for electrification is much more widespread, for good reason. Denver as well as Eugene, Ore., the states of Maryland and Maine, and more than 20 cities and towns in Massachusetts are some of the locations advancing policy to support electrification and transition away from planet-warming fossil gas for heat and cooking. Elsewhere, as in California, cities and towns are taking the lead, the equivalent of a grassroots campaign.

Perhaps we are seeing the beginning of an epic, society-wide competition to see who can cleverly leapfrog over reactionary courts and be the greenest of the greens.

Gary Stewart, Laguna Beach

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To the editor: California is not New York. The stupidity of their state legislature is not contagious. What is ironic is New York, like California, does not have the electric infrastructure to support a move to an all-electric future. Until the electric grid has substantial capacity to service an all-electric population, the politicians and special interest groups need to deal with reality, not some fantasy.

David L. McDaniel, Capistrano Beach

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To the editor: My old state of New York has just put my current state of California on notice. They passed some rather ambitious climate initiatives. Those legislators are protecting constituents’ health, as well as that of our planet. Banning gas stoves in most new buildings will reduce methane from future residences and workplaces, lessening heart and lung issues. That ban will also help mitigate the negative effects of climate change, as methane in our atmosphere traps significantly more heat than carbon does. Additionally, New York is requiring the state’s public power provider to generate all of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2030.

Perhaps California can enact similar laws as current technologies allow us to reduce fossil fuel use. Irvine is adapting with an all-electric hospital. Future generations are counting on us to adjust quickly, so thank you N.Y. and Irvine for leading the way.

Jonathan Light, Laguna Niguel