Opinion: Treat the North Dakota protesters like L.A. treated affluent Porter Ranch

To the editor: I commend the Porter Ranch residents whose suffering and protests as a result of the Aliso Canyon gas leak brought about a redirection of investment planning in favor of less dependence on natural gas in the future. I agree that the cost on public health, the environment and the climate are too great. (“The largest methane leak in U.S. history began one year ago at Aliso Canyon. What have we learned since then?” editorial, Oct. 22)

I’d like to see the same response to the efforts of the Standing Rock Sioux and their friends to stop the construction of the North Dakota pipeline in violation of laws and environmental rights of the residents there. Why such a difference in the responses of the government and law enforcement officials there?

Is it because of the political power and affluence of the Porter Ranch residents versus the perceived lack of power of the Native peoples of North Dakota?

Roselva Ungar, Santa Clarita

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To the editor: The Times reminds us we are taking many positive steps toward a renewable energy future. But a sense of urgency is lacking.

Greenhouse gas emissions must be turned off for good as soon as possible. There is a lag of decades before the effects of current emissions show up as altered weather patterns, so the changes we are now experiencing reflect earlier decades of greenhouse-gas build-up.

We need a price on carbon to incentivize clean energy innovation. Returning all the revenues to American households would buffer the economic impact of the transition. The media should clarify climate science and policy alternatives, and the public must insist on action.

Grace Bertalot, Anaheim

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