Opinion: In praise of the Trump-appointed regulators who saved us from Rick Perry’s disastrous coal plan

To the editor: Reason prevailed when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unanimously shot down U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry’ coal-favoring plan. (“Trump administration plan to prop up coal and nuclear markets rejected by regulators,” Jan. 8)

Perry, more famously known for his appearance on “Dancing With the Stars” and for saying, “Oops,” during a GOP presidential candidate debate in 2011 when he couldn’t name the third federal agency he would shut down, made an absurd pitch to revive coal usage despite the cost his plan would have imposed on utility ratepayers and the potential devastation to the environment.

What’s next, returning to horse and buggy transportation and gas lamps instead of electricity? Perry is obviously doing President Trump’s bidding, and both would be delighted to take us backward just as China moves ahead to 21st century solutions.

Thanks to the Republican-dominated Energy Regulatory Commission for prioritizing the facts rather than giving in to politics.

Barbara H. Bergen, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Pro-pollution extremist Perry tried to persuade Trump’s appointees to charge ratepayers billions of dollars to subsidize unnecessary, uneconomical and filthy coal- and oil-fueled power plants. Fortunately, he failed.

And anti-environmentalists say environmentalists are the extremists?

To the contrary, environmentalists increasingly support a plan that would allow the marketplace to choose the most practical source of electric power while making the polluters pay for the damage they do to our habitat and our health. This plan is called “carbon fee and dividend,” and it would distribute the revenue generated from carbon fees back to us, the public, instead of picking our pockets.

Anti-environment extremists will oppose this plan for ideological reasons and because their own propaganda has backed them into a political corner, but it’s winning support from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress.

This plan is the wave of the future. Subsidizing dirty fuel at a great cost to us is not.

Bob Gerecke, Claremont

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To the editor: It is so refreshing to see that not everyone in the Trump administration rejects the overwhelming scientific findings that coal is disastrous for our planet.

I have children and hope to have grandchildren someday. I want them to have a beautiful and healthy planet to inherit, not one that is heading for destruction from ever-increasing global warming.

Marsha Hymanson, Altadena

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