READERS WRITE: JULY 11

‘Clean’ energy push will prove costly for Atlanta

“City seeks more time to review energy plan” (Metro, June 28) is a response to an ill-advised May 1, 2017, Clean Energy Resolution by the City Council to have Atlanta government powered by clean energy by 2025, and the rest of the city by 2035. Clean energy is defined as solar, wind, moving water and biomass. Atlanta officials cite states like California with mandates for clean energy use. They fail to mention residential electricity rates in California are 19 cents per kilowatt-hour, while Georgia’s rates are 10.5 cents. I visited a neighborhood fire station and learned it uses natural gas for heating, hot water and cooking. For me, natural gas is less than one-quarter the cost of electricity. Three units of natural gas are needed to make one unit of electricity. Forcing the abandonment of natural gas drastically raises energy costs for all.

JAMES H. RUST, POLICY ADVISER, THE HEARTLAND INSTITUTE

Hilarious to believe columnist Parker’s a liberal

Regarding “Liberal opinion columnist struggling to find new ways to bash Trump… “ (Readers Write, July 1), anyone who criticizes Trump is a liberal? Most readers of Kathleen Parker would be surprised at that mischaracterization, as would Ms. Parker herself. The whole July 1 AJC letters section leans right. The only exception is from the Anti-Defamation League regional director, who wants editorial cartoons not to use Holocaust imagery. Recently, several Holocaust survivors expressed the opposite position: that yes, what is happening now is very similar to what led up to the Holocaust, and that we should take heed of the possibility of going there. This is what opinion pages are for. I’m not sure what end was served by printing the “Liberal opinion columnist” letter unless, of course, you folks are having a good laugh over the writer’s casting Ms. Parker as a liberal.

JOEL CHARLES, MCDONOUGH