Tow Biz
Praises to [Maureen Turner] for such a straightforward article concerning the towing contract for the City of Springfield. There should be more reporters like yourself who will go out and search for the truth, rather than sugarcoat wrongdoings as the Republican recently did. You're to be commended for having the guts to go up against city politics because that is more than likely what is at work or the Alliance Towing Contract would have been terminated right from the beginning. And the City of Springfield states money is in short supply. Well, maybe if they proceeded properly from the start of any contracts before awarding same, they would be in a much better position.
You are one of a few who bites the bullet and does not worry about speaking the truth as it is. Keep up the excellent work.
Judy Bouchard
Springfield
Decentralize Oil
I should like to comment in response to the letter in your July 24, 2008 issue on "Not Just About Peak Oil" as well as the Imperium Watch column on "Oil: The Fear Factor." There may be differences in opinion on whether or not we are reaching "peak oil," but it is likely that oil and gasoline prices will remain high or increase as the demands of countries like China and India grow. Thus, measures to reduce dependence on foreign sources and centralized processing facilities seem wise. The quickest and cheapest way to do this is through conservation, and I believe it is possible to decrease our needs by as much as 50 percent without appreciable decline in our life comforts. It has been said that "all politics is local" and I believe this to be true with regard to energy needs. There are advantages to decentralized energy sources since:
*There is less loss in transmission from remote sources. Only a fraction of the energy in the fuel for power plants gets delivered to the consumer.
*Local production is less sensitive to grid failures and extreme weather may be less of a problem, so that regional brownouts are less likely.
*Decentralized facilities are less subject to attack by terrorists or enemies.
*Decentralized facilities can be more sensitive to local control than with "absentee landlords."
Alternative energy approaches such as solar, wind, and biofuel use are adaptable to decentralized electricity generation. In addition to combating high energy costs, these factors favor their consideration.
Richard S. (Dick) Stein
Professor of Chemistry Emeritus
UMass-Amherst
