Keep Stars Bright
I enjoyed your January Footnotes in Texas History article about the “The stars at night, are big and bright …”! I’d like to challenge the electric cooperatives—especially the ones in the high rural growth areas, to consider making it a policy to offer members ONLY outdoor lighting that is shaded in ways to protect our beautiful dark skies. Some co-ops may already do this, but some do not. As members, let’s work to keep alive and well the heritage vocalized in this song.
Karen Huber, Pedernales Electric Cooperative
Response Was Predictable
After the great display of the “Big Bucks” in the November 2006 issue, we all knew that you’d be getting letters opposing hunting. I, for one, like your article and sport hunting. Print that!
Richard Peters, Fayette Electric Cooperative
Does Injection Technology Work?
You write in “The Future(Gen) Is Here” that carbon dioxide waste from coal generation will be captured and used to produce more oil from existing wells. I used to design CO2 and nitrogen pumps used for oil-well maintenance and fracture jobs.
CO2 is used mostly for unclogging wells, and I can assure you that there is more than enough CO2 for those purposes. Even if there were not, the CO2 captured from any new plants would be in a great excess of what is needed for the stated purposes.
The article also states that carbon dioxide would be safely stored underground but it is thought that the CO2 may damage the strata containing it, resulting in a sudden massive leakage.
The only realistic alternative is conservation and alternative energy sources.
Thomas W. Cranston, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative
