LETTER: Going 'green' is simply not as easy as you think

To the Editor:

On April 5, the FLT published my essay "Everything Including Energy Comes a Cost." This letter is about more problems.

We went "green" back when the word meant color. In early 1970, I installed 100% electric heat in our home. Added propane stove/fireplace in main living area. Operates without electricity. Little-used rooms' thermostats are set to lower temperatures. Also have small backup generator. Biden quote: "We are going to get rid of fossil fuels." If that happens and the electric goes down, we would be without heat, food would spoil, cellar would flood, etc.

We would be one of millions.

Environmental regressives don't want to talk how and where lithium batteries are made. The following is a list of required materials:

Lithium is mined mostly in Chile, Australia, Argentina & China. It is put into water evaporation ponds. Takes about 2.2 million liters of water to produce one ton of usable lithium. Graphite mined mostly in China and India. Cobalt is mostly from Democratic Republic of Congo. Manganese is mostly from China, Africa, Australia & Gabon. The mining, processing and manufacturing of these materials consumes enormous amounts of energy and extensive environmental pollution.

China dominates the lithium battery manufacturing. What EV battery manufacturing is done here uses imported materials.

Lithium battery fires: Regressives claim EV fires are rare compared to gas vehicles. Of course, since gas vehicles outnumber EV's by 93%. How many gas fires are spontaneous?

It's not just EVs. US Consumer Safety Commission says there have been at least 25,000 lithium fires in last five years, including EVs and all types of electronic equipment.

Some recent fires caused by defective or overheated lithium batteries: transit bus in Connecticut; electric scooter fire inside NYC apartment building, killing a child and adult; electric scooter fire destroyed multifamily home in Massachusetts.

NYC Fire Department Commissioner: "Lithium batteries are not small, it literally explodes, tremendous volume, very difficult and dangerous to put out."

Officials' response: Keep your e-bikes, cars away from dwellings.

Environmental crackpots under leadership of Hochul and Albany Duma have passed laws to ban not only gas stoves but the sale of gas/diesel vehicles by 2035. What about private planes and yachts? Fuels for commercial jets and military equipment will still be available but will be imported, putting our country at the mercy of tyrant counties. Actually, the Biden administration has already put us there.

Fuel prices will be so high that only the elite can afford it and a black market will thrive.

EPA Commissar John Kerry claims agriculture production creates 33% of greenhouse gas emissions. Maybe he can get a million "new arrivals" to work in the fields with Chinese-made hand tools, eliminating all manner of farm machinery.

Ask your political leaders about all this. Listen to their no-answer dance.

RICHARD BLAKESLEY

Bloomfield

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