Letters: Support IRA | Community effort | Opposing view | Reject cosumerism

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Urge Republicans
not to repeal IRA

Re: “Port of Oakland receives $322M in funding for its push to become a zero-emission site” (Page A1, Nov. 12)

More than $322 million in federal funding going to the Port of Oakland’s zero-emission energy transition is exciting news. The “largest federal grant in Bay Area port history” was made possible because of the Inflation Reduction Act’s acceleration of our nation’s clean energy transition.

Replacing the port’s diesel-fuel shipping trucks and cargo handling equipment with hydrogen-fuel and battery-powered equipment will dramatically reduce the region’s pollution, providing environmental and economic benefits while improving public health outcomes.

The article also states that “the future of that effort may be uncertain,” as Donald Trump is contemplating rolling back the IRA. This would be a huge mistake.

The IRA has already proven to be beneficial throughout the United States, with red congressional districts actually benefiting the most. This is no doubt why 18 House Republicans (including two Californians) recently signed a letter urging Speaker Johnson not to repeal this legislation — a wise choice, and encouraging development.

Paula Danz
Los Altos

Community effort
can accomplish much

On Wednesday, Nov. 20, MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District Board will cast their votes regarding the future of historic Bear Creek Stables in the district’s Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve outside Los Gatos, following five months of unprecedented board and community cooperation and planning.

An Ad Hoc Committee process brought 50 volunteers donating thousands of hours together with untold director time to produce plans to revive the historic stables, restart the community programs of the past, and guide the stables toward a bright and profitable future serving the public.

Wednesday’s vote will demonstrate the benefits of this groundbreaking model for community interaction, a powerful tool for nurturing ongoing environmental stewardship and advocacy.

Suzanne Cornelius
Los Gatos

Krugman column
supports opposing view

Re: “Deportations will drive up grocery bills” (Page A6, Nov. 13).

Professor Krugman inadvertently makes a case for the opposing view.

He suggests that the United States would not be able to make up for lost workers resulting from deportations by hiring more native-born workers. His reasoning is that labor force participation is currently higher than during Donald Trump’s first term. He neglects to mention that the current labor force participation rate of 62.6% is down considerably from the high of 67.3% during the Bill Clinton presidency.

He thus indirectly reveals the much larger issue of why so many people have decided to leave the workforce. Perhaps the higher wages for low-skilled workers that would result from deportations would induce more people (both native-born workers and legal immigrants) to join the workforce.

Brian Suckow
Palo Alto

For the holidays
reject consumerism

The holidays are coming and shopping has started. Please be mindful of your impact on the environment with every purchase you make. Do friends and relatives need more plastic, in the form of trinkets, toys, housewares and clothing? Do they need products that pollute as they are made and shipped across oceans or continents? Will the gift elicit a momentary laugh and then end up in the trash or being donated to a thrift store?

Maybe they would be happy with non-polluting items such as attending local events, local specialty foods, gift coupons to clean cars, run errands, mow lawns or watch kids, or even cookies from your kitchen?

Consumerism is a learned behavior. We are taught to want things to make us feel good. We don’t really need them.

This holiday, enjoy the season, celebrate your friends and loved ones and try to lessen your load on the environment.

Tina Peak
Palo Alto