To the editor:

Tax subsidies would be wisely spent developing new jobs by providing a positive boost in the existing energy industry. Apply subsidies that would not only create new employment but new energy sources simultaneously. Our government has provided avenues to outsource jobs yet has failed to replace jobs for hard-working Americans. This could provide a practical solution for many of the highly skilled unemployed.

Research reveals there are many alternative energy sources that are sustainable and do not pose the severe accident health risks inherent in coal and nuclear energy production. These sources include:

¢ Bioenergy: Biomass, such as plant matter and animal waste, can yield power, heat, steam and fuel.

¢ Geothermal: Renewable heat energy can be harnessed from deep within the earth.

¢ Wind: Turbines turning in the air convert kinetic energy in the wind into electricity.

¢ Solar: The sun’s energy can be captured and used to produce heat and electricity.

¢ Hydrogen: If produced by renewable sources, it can power fuel cells to convert chemical energy directly into electricity, with useful heat and water as the only byproducts.

¢ Tidal: Using the movement of the ocean to power turbines and generate electricity.

¢ Many more sustainable resources could be found and current resources improved if better technology were available and if the government and utilities actively promoted their development.

The adverse health consequences of breathing air pollution caused by emissions from utility power plants are severe and well documented in published medical and scientific literature.

Remember acid rain!

Richard Heckler,

Lawrence