Letters: Rossi’s numbers don’t really work

While I’m not expressing an opinion on initiative 1631 itself, with the aid of a carbon emission calculator and simple math, the bald-faced lie propagated by Dino Rossi and the oil industry can be challenged. Let’s say you drive a vehicle that gets 20 mpg 10,000 miles per year. That vehicle uses 500 gallons of gas and a carbon footprint calculator on the web estimates it generates 4.17 metric tons of carbon dioxide. 4.17 times $15 equals $62.55 per year for that vehicle, or 12.5 cents per gallon. While not insignificant, it is a far cry from the 57 cents Rossi is claiming. When he burst upon the statewide scene, I thought Rossi was a fresh face who might be able to bridge the partisan divide, but again and again he has proven himself to be a political hack and right-wing ideologue who will say anything to get elected. Except that the people have seen through his ploys and repeatedly rejected him.