Letters for May 23, 2013

Gas is good

Re “We’re fracked” (Letters to the Editor, May 16):

After reading your letter regarding the so-called dangers of fracking, I would suggest that you watch the documentary Fracknation. It exposes the fraud involved in the anti-fracking movement, and any reasonable person viewing this documentary will realize that fracking is safer than most other forms of energy production. Fracking is certainly not perfect, but no energy production is. Reasonable people consider the necessity of certain forms of energy and the true risks involved. We can all desire to live in a Utopian world where no dangers exist, but that’s a truly foolish notion. Improvements in energy production are constantly developed and perhaps someday solar and wind energy will be possible, but at this time the technology simply doesn’t work, neither technically nor financially. Natural gas is the cleanest and least expensive form of energy available at this time. Instead of having American taxpayers continue to underwrite alternative energies that can’t function without those subsidies, we need to allow private industries using capitalism as a financing source to develop alternative energies. After all, the electric car supporters fail to acknowledge that coal is the source of developing electric power. Coal is a dangerous source to the miners and is not the cleanest form of energy. Our present administration has been instrumental in destroying coal as a source of energy that we rely upon.

Fred Speckmann

Reno

Hear! Hear!

Re “A beer to remember” (Feature story, May 9):

Great article, Brad, and the point of reference at the beginning really did work! It’s such a great feeling to witness and be a small part of the up-and-coming local craft beer scene here in Reno, and I for one welcome our new yeasty overlords with open arms (and stomach)—cheers!

Brian Ball

Reno

The crossing

I was crushed when they imploded the Mapes. Driven crazy when they parted out the Harrah’s Automobile Collection. Steamed when they said “nix” to the geothermal gardens at Moana Springs. And I’m ready to go postal if/when they screw up the old downtown mail station.

But the worst error of all—besides our misanthropic, malignant stoplight system—was the painful ramming-through of The Trench. Ouch, I was once proud of our rail heritage.

Not only is it ugly and require constant money to maintain, but it has cut off a vital traffic area.

I speak of the lack of passage by pedestrians, bicyclists and others to cross the river at Wells Avenue.

This has split that part of the city from barely-sustainable areas (the North side), to engagingly growing sections (South side).

It’s a chokehold on growth, and I’d bet there is even more crime in this now forgotten land where the homeless and hungry try to hide their shame for not keeping up with the Joneses.

I wouldn’t mind our City Council taking some action on getting a river crossing there.

Craig Bergland

Reno

Emergency calls

Recently, in Rancho San Rafael Park I accidentally locked my 22-month-old daughter in my truck. I called 911 and was shocked that it took 23 minutes for REMSA to arrive—they can’t unlock a car—and 25 minutes for Reno Fire to arrive—they can unlock a car—with Washoe County deputy sheriffs arriving last. In the 23-minute period, I called 911 back twice. All three calls, the dispatch person was rude, unprofessional and unsympathetic. I know I sounded extremely frantic, but I thought 911 operators were trained to handle that and calm me down rather than be argumentative when I ask for an estimated time of arrival. I am offended, angry and beside myself that I was treated so poorly during an emergency. Washoe County, please train your dispatchers better. Our taxes pay the salaries of 911 operators, and the taxpayers deserve to be treated with respect especially during a crisis.

Alyna Harrall

Sparks

Drunk kids

Underage drinking has become an increasing problem in recent years, throughout the country. A recent survey showed that, with a group of people aged 12 to 20, 26 percent used alcohol, and 17 percent binge drank in the 30 days prior. There are many factors that have lead to an increase in underage drinking, such as movies, commercials and billboards that advertise alcohol. All these factors make it seem “cool” or fun to drink because they never show the negative effects of drinking. Alcohol has become increasingly easier for teens to get. Oftentimes teens are able to get alcohol from friends or family, but the main way teens are getting alcohol now is with fake IDs. Alcohol can cause many long-term negative effects such as slowing down the development of the brain, becoming addicted to other drugs, academic failure, the possibility of death from motor vehicle accidents, or alcohol poisoning. Many movies only show the positive parts about drinking, such as having a good time and forgetting stressful situations. movies need to focus more on the Negative effects to give teens a realistic view on drinking.

Nelson Brianne Nelson

Sparks

Who’s fracked?

Re “We’re fracked” (Letters to the Editor, May 16):

A letter from Dawn Harris, founder of Frack Free Reno, claimed that “If the allegations about hydraulic fracturing are true,” a whole host of alarming things will happen to Nevada. The good news? The allegations aren’t true. But don’t take my word for it.

National Research Council: “Hydraulic fracturing a well as presently implemented for shale gas recovery does not pose a high risk for inducing felt seismic events.”

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: “After several months of operation, state-of-the-art, 24-hour air monitors in the Barnett Shale area are showing no levels of concern for any chemicals. This reinforces our conclusion that there are no immediate health concerns from air quality in the area, and that when they are properly managed and maintained, oil and gas operations do not cause harmful excess air emissions.”

Former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson: “In no case have we made a definitive determination that the fracking process has caused chemicals to enter groundwater.”

U.S. Department of Energy and Ground Water Protection Council: “The amount of water needed to drill and fracture a horizontal shale gas well generally ranges from about 2 million to 4 million gallons. While these volumes may seem very large, they are small by comparison to some other uses of water, such as agriculture, electric power generation, and municipalities. Calculations indicate that water use for shale gas development will range from less than 0.1% to 0.8% of total water use by basin.”

U.S. Department of Energy and Ground Water Protection Council: “The development and production of oil and gas in the U.S., including shale gas, are regulated under a complex set of federal, state, and local laws that address every aspect of exploration and operation.”

Anti-oil and gas activists like Harris spend a lot of time talking about alarming allegations, but ignore the facts. It turns out the truth about hydraulic fracturing is significantly less scary, and the facts speak for themselves.

Courtney Loper

Field Director, Energy in Depth