4
The Northern Light • November 11 - 17, 2021
Opinion
The Northern L ght The Northern Light is published weekly by Point Roberts Press Inc. Locally owned and managed, the company also publishes the All Point Bulletin, covering Point Roberts, Mount Baker Experience, covering the Mt. Baker foothills area, Pacific Coast Weddings annual guide, and the summer recreation guide Waterside as well as maps and other publications. Point Roberts Press Inc. is a member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, Chambers of Commerce of Bellingham/ Whatcom County, Birch Bay, Blaine and Point Roberts and the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors. Letters Policy The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor. Please include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters are limited to 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Consumer complaints should be submitted directly to the business in question or the local chamber of commerce. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published. Email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com.
The city displays holiday lights downtown
Publisher & Managing Editor Patrick Grubb publisher@pointrobertspress.com Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com Editor Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com
s A Blaine Public Works Department employee strings holiday lights on a tree at the intersection of Peace Portal Drive and H Street on November 5. Photo by Grace McCarthy
Reporter Ian Haupt ian@pointrobertspress.com Creative Services Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser production@pointrobertspress.com Office Manager Jeanie Luna info@pointrobertspress.com Advertising Sales Molly Ernst, Gary Lee sales@pointrobertspress.com General Editorial Inquiries editor@pointrobertspress.com
The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200 Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVII, No 22 Circulation: 10,500 copies
Circulation Independently verified by:
Letters The Editor: When I read Professor Harrell’s article in the October 21-27 edition regarding the “Challenges of Climate Change,” I think of the person who keeps crying wolf. Professor Harrell argues we should immediately move to an all-electric future heavily dependent on solar and wind for that electricity. Don’t emulate California. What happens when the sun does not shine, and the wind does not blow? Battery storage? Really? Solar and wind have their place but not as primary sources. Hydro-electric power provides a reliable and clean source of electricity, but many people want the dams dismantled. Nowhere does he mention nuclear power for generating electricity. There is no way to electrify everything without nuclear power. It is safe and dependable. The hurdles for nuclear
power are political not technical. I have read the proposed Climate Action Plan and there are many assumptions for what the climate will do over the next 30-40 years. Most of which will not come true. There is already talk of “Global cooling based on the greening of the planet” (planting of trees). You know it is not a serious plan when you include the word “equity” and don’t discuss nuclear power. The creation of the Whatcom County Office of Climate Action is another bureaucracy we do not need. It will not solve anything but grow in size/budget and increase the costs of living and of doing business. Germany has gone green in a big way and it is a disaster. Look it up. Remember last winter when Texas froze, it was due to overreliance on green energy.
Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.
Civic Meetings Birch Bay Water & Sewer District: Second and fourth Thursdays, 4 p.m., district offices, 7096 Point Whitehorn Road, Birch Bay. Info and Zoom meeting link: bbwsd.com. The November meetings were rescheduled to Tuesday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 23. Blaine City Council: Second and fourth Mondays, 6 p.m., Blaine City Council chambers, 435 Martin Street. Info and virtual meeting login: ci.blaine.wa.us.
Next issue: Nov. 18 Ads due: Nov. 12
The hot temperatures from the summer may be the hottest we have seen but we’ve only recorded temperatures for the last 150 years so who knows how hot it has been here over the millennia. To sum it all up, climate change is always going on but you must reject climate change hysteria. There are simple and easy things we can do to keep our environment and economy healthy without “destroying it in order to save it.” Please do not be a lemming following the Climate Change Piper off the cliff. Mike Harkleroad Blaine
Blaine Planning Commission: Second and fourth Thursdays, 6 p.m. Info: blainepc@cityofblaine.com. Info for joining Zoom meetings: bit.ly/2CiMKnk.
Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation: Second Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., location varies. Info: bbbparkandrec.org. Virtual meeting info: bbbparkandrec.org/board-meetings. Blaine Park and Cemetery Board: Second Thursday, 9 a.m., virtual meeting. Info: 360/332-8311, ext. 3330. Blaine School Board: Fourth Monday, 7 p.m., Blaine school district offices. Info and virtual meeting link: blainesd.org. North Whatcom Fire & Rescue: Rescheduled to Tuesday, October 19 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. Info: nwfrs.net.
