Draft Sixth Power Plan Comment

I am getting older and the future belongs to my children and grand children. I would like to leave them a legacy of good health and an environment that enhances their lives. Included in that desire is the vision of a world that is fueled with clean energy, the kind that improves their quality of life. Although coal is readily available, cheap and abundant, this fossil fuel, used as a power source, pollutes our air, spoils our soil and wastes our bodies. You have a moral and social responsibility to protect the future of this region and to help contribute to its benefit. That responsibility rests with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s planning decisions. Collectively, the Council's primary and singular focus should be and must be on the best interests of the population it serves. Although that includes the commercial interests with a financial motive it must not exclude the citizenry. Your decisions will not only effect my family but yours too. Your deliberations should be in the interests of the common good. We in the Northwest have a well deserved reputation to that end and a tradition to uphold. Fossil fueled power plants cannot continue to pump toxins into out atmosphere and expect that we will continue to tolerate a hostile climate . . . a climate created by our own hands and a threat to our very existence. To continue to do the same harmful things, or to consider increasing this disgraceful disregard for our own safety is either an indicator of insanity or suicide. There are many good options which are healthy, sustainable and provide us with a world that we can live and prosper in. The bottom line should be what is best for everyone not just a select few economic interests. Examine your mission, your vision, your responsibility as public servants and act accordingly. Thank you for your work, thoughtful deliberation, time and consideration.