11/13 Letters: N.C. should rethink Atlantic Coast Pipeline

Regarding “NC officials reject environmental plan for Atlantic Coast Pipeline” (Oct. 10): The News & Observer has recently covered the process of local energy utilities and the permitting process of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). It is noted in the article that the pipeline has encountered permitting problems, but the energy utilities involved do not see this as a setback to eventually reaching approval by the state government. Particularly, there are problems surrounding erosion and sedimentation control as well as air quality permits for compressors.

The task of getting the ACP project approved within North Carolina’s state lines should not be easy considering the lack of necessity of the project. Taking into account that North Carolina is nationally ranked as second in solar development projects, our state energy utilities should be exploring the renewable possibilities. These options don’t compromise the environment, often add resiliency to the grid, and better equipped grids encourage customers interested in small power production to support power production.

National responsibility

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the justification that many Senate and House Republicans are using for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act: People should be responsible for their own health. It seems to make sense until one considers the following bits of information. We tend to think that people are born in a state of perfection, no sins, no problems, no health issues, no mistakes. But taking a few moments to consider the facts reveals the fallacies of these ideas.

Personal responsibility only goes so far when one is speaking of newborns and children one year and younger who have cancer. Exactly what did they do? How about the elderly man who developed mesothelioma after serving in the U.S. Navy; should he not have served his country, fought the Nazis and helped to free Europe of the scourge that this hateful people still today represent? How about those poor, unfortunate young women whose parents were encouraged to use talcum powder on their bottoms with every diaper change? Or how about the many Americans who have the grave misfortune of working for a “heartless corporation” such as the one responsible for the horror of Love Canal or Three Mile Island?

In spite of what many among the Republican leadership see as selfless, unfairly punished corporate entities, unfettered corporate greed with no oversight is what individuals like Donald Trump believe should govern corporate behavior. Even when the leaders of these organizations break the law, violate ethical standards and destroy the health of many people both young and old in favor of increasing the remuneration they receive for their insatiable greed, many times these individuals do not serve any jail time. So, please explain to me again why it is that the health of every American is their own responsibility, and the government should do nothing to support or protect it?

This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "11/13 Letters: N.C. should rethink Atlantic Coast Pipeline."