Traffic moves down Westheimer Road in Montrose, Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in Houston.
Regarding “ERCOT urges Texans to conserve power Monday, fearing limited reserves,” (July 10): Why has the Houston Chronicle paid so little attention to the other side of the coin, that Texans use more energy per capita compared to many other states? An enormous amount of this overuse is waste. We can conserve quite easily.
First, stop the industrial-strength light at night that blinds drivers and keeps Houstonians from sleeping. Cheap LED lighting has backfired. We use so much we are likely not even saving energy. Poor sleep exacerbates disinhibition, juvenile delinquency and makes mental illness worse. It is no wonder people are shooting each other over parking spaces with the intense 24/7 light blazing away that can be seen in news reports. Sleep deprivation is used as torture for a reason.
Stop the freezing air conditioning in commercial buildings. We should not have to bring sweaters and order hot tea all summer. Restaurants and some stores are finally responding. Reasonably comfortable is good enough with a glass of iced tea.
The pandemic taught us how to Zoom. We don’t have to drive everywhere. My dad’s four-man carpool to Shell Oil in the 1970s equals the fuel savings of a two-man carpool in a Prius today. Maybe you can’t afford an electric car but used hybrids often have mainstream pricing.
And Texas, join the eastern or western grid. We would not have to invest tons of dollars to cover rare weather events if we did.
Regarding “Houston just had its hottest June yet. The next two months could also be 'above normal',” (July 1): It is confirmed that this June was the hottest on record in much of Texas, as was May. Record temperatures are happening across the globe. Texas leads the country in methane emissions from our oil and gas fields, yet our Republican leaders do nothing. These emissions are preventable and scientists say the benefits to cutting methane in the atmosphere are significant: it would “especially contribute” to reducing climate-related damage according to a recent UN report. When are we going to see the dire progress we need to protect our planet? Instead, the conservative-majority Supreme Court ruled to limit the government’s ability to fight this crisis. Insanity!
Regarding “Texas and EPA face off over ozone designation in Permian Basin,” (June 30): Even elementary school children know that greenhouse gases contribute to ground-level ozone pollution, and that greenhouse gases are to blame for dangerous climate change. We’re already seeing the effects of global warming in the increasing frequency of severe weather events, ravaging fires and warmer temperatures. Government entities, citizens and especially insurance companies are paying billions and billions of dollars in damages each year.
Why is it that our governor and state leaders seem far more concerned over oil company’s profits than in the health of their citizens and that of future generations?
Regarding “Fuel stocks kept falling last week as refineries reached 95 percent of their capacity,” (July 7): If this is true, then the oil companies are reaping a lot of money. When oil was trading this low, gas pump prices were somewhere under $2.50. Not charging twice that amount. This feels like a strategy from Republicans to make President Biden and the economy look bad, so that they can take control of Congress.
Property taxes are on the rise. Gas prices are real high. The cost of food and building materials feels like it’s doubling each week. People are being gunned down in ever-increasing numbers. Children are being killed every day by guns in wrong hands. The NRA is trying to scare people into buying more of their guns. It is working. I read in this paper of arguments turning into shootouts in bars, restaurants and local neighborhoods. The laws in this country have to change. This cannot and should not continue.
We have to vote out these people in office who want to control your money, control women’s bodies and make laws to suit themselves.
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Instead of shutting down the program immediately, they let it fade away over the course of a year. A tidal wave of applicants has now rushed to seek billions of additional dollars in last-minute tax breaks.
By Eric Dexheimer and Mike Morris