Resilient grids

Apparently, Terry Jarrett (“Opinion: Heatwaves proof coal, gas are workhorses,” July 16) the “energy attorney and consultant” has never heard of battery storage systems. The author cherry picks a single sweltering day to vilify renewables, yet conveniently ignores how wind and solar paired with battery storage outperforms coal plants during peak demand surges. Not to mention that coal plants are vanishing due to market forces.

In addition, fossil fuel infrastructure sometimes crumbles during extreme weather events. Remember Texas’s winter freeze debacle when gas plants froze solid while wind turbines kept spinning?

Building resilient grids requires diversified energy portfolios, robust transmission networks, and storage solutions. Stubbornly prioritizing polluting fossil fuels while our only home burns represents dangerous shortsightedness.

Jonathan Quint

Goffstown, NH

Tobacco ban

Proponents of a Generational Tobacco Ban, a scheme intended to lead to total tobacco and nicotine prohibition in Massachusetts, say it would save the state medical costs associated with tobacco use (“Generational tobacco ban proposed,” July 16). It would do no such thing.

These activists fail to consider that nonsmokers, if they live long enough, inevitably will fall ill and require medical treatment, perhaps even more expensive than that of smokers. Also, long-living nonsmokers most likely will need costly nursing home care that smokers who die prematurely do not.

This explains why, despite the present U.S. smoking rate being a fraction of what it was in the 1970s, the nation’s per capita medical expenditures since then have risen sevenfold.

Stephen Helfer

Cambridge

Fossil fuels

In an op-ed, Chris Talgo of the Heartland Institute says he hopes more states follow Louisiana’s lead in passing new legislation that favors fossil fuels and impedes the development of renewable energy (“Talgo: Louisiana’s energy strategy shows the way,” July 13). But recent opinion polls say Louisianans are not on board with the new law.

Strong majorities of those polled in 2024 want more wind energy (59%) and more solar energy (72%) in their state. A majority also said that shifting away from fossil fuels will improve air and water quality, and a solid plurality wants the state to do more to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Even in a very red state, the people are tired of the fossil fuel companies calling all the shots. Here in Massachusetts, I hope we do not follow Louisiana in its legislative crusade against clean energy. To the contrary, I support legislation that would create a climate superfund to recover damages from the corporations that have profited from selling fossil fuels they knew would heat the climate. We can have a clean energy future.

Frederick Hewett

Cambridge