Draft Sixth Power Plan Comment

Dear Mr. Walker: Energy alternatives to coal are becoming more cost feasible. Bio-fuels are (finally!) being shown NOT to provide a positive return on our investments, whereas solar and wind ARE proving efficacious in many circumstances, their efficiency improving exponentially as technology and R&D funding, etc. tend to match this curve. Coal however, cumulatively, long-term and environmentally, has a worse bottom line return than bio-fuels. The damage and loss of naturally ocurring and free environmental utilities which occur in the process of coal production are irreplaceable and impossible to afford by local, state and federal entities, since removing mountain tops, polluting rivers and air, etc. equates in such tremendous damage. Please, we need to respect three concepts if we are to have a healthy environment and future for the world's children: carrying capacity, cumulative, and sustainable. These words are as real as our kid's lives, and as real as our utter and complete dependence on a healthy environment for mankind's very survival. Please, let's move the highly polluting and unsustainable-long-term coal production out of the way of our progress in efficiency standards and new clean energy. Wise choices in energy production are no longer optional in the world as it is in 2009. Old ineffictive trends that damage future viability must stop, and your Council has in its power the ability to protect our future needs and radically reduce our impact on our fragile and struggling environment. Thank you for focusing on renewable energy. Now please, we must continue to do so as we also continue to reduce greenhouse emissions. This cannot be accomplished with coal. Respectfully, Hal B. Anthony, Three Pines Neighborhood Association Hugo, Oregon