Horse Heaven wind farm will never meet expectations
It is now April 2024. The Washington state (EFSEC) is taking final comments on restrictions for the Horse Heaven wind farm. The restrictions center around impacts on ferruginous hawks, noise, scenic views, tourism, firefighting, Yakama cultural sites, etc.
Four years ago in March 2020, Scout Clean Energy (SCE) said this wind farm would:
1) be affordable and cost-competitive
2) be reliable
3) be low-impact.
4) meet the needs of Washington communities
It also promised that 5 million metric tons CO2 annually would be avoided with the wind farm.
In response to these remarks, in May 2020 and February 2021, I asked SCE for specific technical information supporting these claims. They provided some information.
After four years I still believe this wind farm does not meet the needs of Benton County and does not live up to any of the claims by SCE (Items 1-4, which I submitted as comments to the EFSEC). It does not help save the snowpack or reduce wildfires since saving 5 million MT of CO2 translates to a temperature reduction of less than .001 degrees C. Hence, if this wind farm is built, it should be recognized that it will not meet its stated purposes.
Craig Brown, Richland
Heritage op-ed full of misinformation
EJ Antoni of the Heritage Foundation blamed Americans’ loss of earning power on the Fed in his op-ed in the April 7 Tri-City Herald.
This is disinformation meant to keep voters angrily rejecting the political leaders who are trying to protect the middle and lower classes from being preyed upon by agencies representing the interests of the richest 1% of Americans.
The Heritage Foundation is a champion of getting the GOP politicians elected that give tax breaks to corporations and wealthy individuals, weakening labor unions and appointing judges that favor wealthy Christian Nationalists.
The Foundation is one of the main subjects of Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America, a NYT bestseller analyzing loss of fairness beginning in 1980. Look up Project 2025 for an alarming view of its goals for the future.
Antoni’s op-ed can be shredded by anyone with a working understanding of his subject, but he and other liars rely on the speed and noise with which disinformation spreads compared with the slow and quiet pace of truthful corrections.
Greg Carl, Richland
Misinformation no fit for social media
Recently, correspondent Lesley Stahl on the CBS 60 Minutes program questioned Republican Congressman Jim Jordan’s claim that rejecting misinformation by social media companies suppresses free speech and violates First Amendment liberties.
The discussion centered on a pair of laws passed in the red states of Florida and Texas over the question of First Amendment rights on the internet, which were challenged and are being reviewed by the Supreme Court.
This serves as something of a warning about misinformation ahead of the 2024 general election, and on the many discussions over truth and facts surrounding the 2020 election, as well as commentary about COVID and the effectiveness of vaccines. The program segment largely blamed conservative voices such as Newt Gingrich, Marjorie Taylor Greene, President Biden’s predecessor, etc., for misinformation, and it featured an academic researcher who said as much.
The court is deciding, in separate cases, whether the platforms are like news organizations with a First Amendment right to control who and what information appears on their sites, or if they’re merely transmitting everyone’s speech. If the laws are upheld, media platforms could be forced to carry hate speech and false medical information.
Hopefully, the court will make the right decision.
Bill Petrie, Richland
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