Inslee plans to cover the slopes of Horse Heaven Hills. Bill Gates had a better idea | Opinion
Gates had better ideas than Inslee
Gov. Jay Inslee has now signed an agreement to build a huge wind farm of “affordable energy” on the slopes of the Horse Heaven Hills.
Michael Rucker of Scout Clean Energy says this will produce “cost-competitive electricity.” What’s not to like about this? Only that being affordable will not be true if you run the numbers.
This will also have an indelibly negative impact on the growth of Benton County. So, what if another Washingtonian had been governor in 2024. Let’s say Bill Gates.
Bill Gates has lobbied for 20 years that nuclear power is the best solution for our future clean energy needs, not wind and solar. Maybe he would have suggested Benton County leverage its historical nuclear expertise for such development.
Maybe today TerraPower (a Gates nuclear startup company) would have already broken ground for a demonstration plant in Washington state instead of Kemmerer, Wyo.
A single Natrium power station (345 MWe) would provide as much electricity annually as the proposed wind (1150 MWe) farm; and the power would be on-demand, available 24/7, unlike wind and solar.
Just imagine, being able to drive by or through the Horse Heaven Hills for decades to come and seeing pronghorn antelope, not windmills and solar panels.
Craig Brown, Richland
Bring back ‘40s soda fountains
Well, not enough of you paid attention to my advice about the election, so I will write about something that might cheer us up.
Some enterprising soul should open an old-fashioned ice cream parlor in downtown Richland. Really! We should try keeping a pleasant part of our important history from the 1940s alive.
Yes, we have ice cream shops, but when I asked the owner or server at Baskin Robbins if he could make an ice cream soda, I was led to a cooler with soft drinks in it. I could choose whichever one I wanted and add whatever flavor of ice cream I wanted. Not!
I want the soda and syrup dispensers, the counter, the red swiveling stools. And I recently learned that there was a Newberry’s in Uptown that had a soda fountain! It really was part of our history. Please, somebody, cheer up an old lady!
Judith Loomis, Richland
Health partners improve medicine
The University of Washington School of Medicine-Gonzaga University Health Partnership unites providers in rural communities with students, faculty and providers to improve health.
This holiday season, we express deep gratitude for the time, expertise, collaboration and support from our health partners — the extensive network of physicians, nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants and allied healthcare professionals — who are educating and mentoring the next generation of healthcare providers to serve communities like Tri-Cities.
Our health partners are a cornerstone in delivering top-ranked medical education. Together, we are stronger, preparing the next generation of physicians for Tri-Cities and beyond.
With gratitude,
Geoff Jones, M.D., Spokane
Assistant Clinical Dean, Eastern and Central WA
University of Washington School of Medicine