Oct 14, 2018 2 min read

In response to your editorial, “More Climate News and It’s Not Good” (Oct. 5), one only needs to look locally at the “blatant foolishness” that will contribute to greenhouse gas production.

In Robinson Township, Washington County, a large landowner is attempting, for the fourth time, to build a fossil fuel-based power plant.

The 2018 version of the Beech Hollow Energy or Robinson Power Co. plant is to be built by Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co. Inc. and is slated to be fueled by extracted gas.

Gas extracted from shale formations is being dubbed the “bridge fuel”, supposedly transitioning us from polluting coal to alternatives necessary to tackle climate change. Gas is supposed to be cleaner than coal, but not so fast. Gas from shale formations is still a fossil fuel – and one responsible for high levels of methane, a greenhouse gas known to contribute to climate change. And, most importantly, the extraction process is highly industrial, dirty and contaminates water, air and land. Diesel levels increase around gas extraction sites due to the massive number of trucks necessary at such operations. Leaks, explosions and spills are commonplace. Many, like me, don’t see the sense in investing further in polluting fossil fuels.

This “bridge fuel” is not a cleaner, better fuel. It is trading one dirty fossil fuel for another, trading one polluting legacy for another. We need real change, not just the illusion of change. Our future lies in creating a more sustainable way of life. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar should be leading the way, not fossil fuels! Renewables can provide us with cleaner energy and new, and growing job opportunities.

The bottom line, our community, our state and our world does not need Robinson Power’s gas plant.

Cathy Lodge

Bulger