Letter: Go solar to protect environment and climate for future generations

Annette Cary’s article “Pasco meeting planned on draft Northwest power plan” (TCH, Nov. 9) showed a bleak path for carbon emission reductions in the region via natural gas.

However, as I walk around the Tri-Cities, I can’t help but imagine how much energy we could produce by putting solar panels on every viable rooftop. Even the picture from Cary’s article shows early morning sunlight eliminating power lines.

The sun is an endless resource with no carbon emissions, while natural gas is a finite source with less carbon emissions and takes a great toll on our planet for extraction. We won’t get to a future powered by the sun without setting big goals and backing it up with good policies. When considering our energy future, I urge to our Washington state legislators to support setting a goal of 10 percent solar by 2025 to get us closer to putting solar on every viable rooftop in our communities.

If more of us are able to capture the power of the sun, them ore we’ll be able to protect our environment and our climate for future generations.

This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Letter: Go solar to protect environment and climate for future generations."