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2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Other Views: Marijuana businesses need banking service ... Crescent fire closes Crater Lake's north entrance ... Quake risk means LNG plant is a bad idea ... Other Views: Marijuana businesses need banking service ... Crescent fire closes Crater Lake's north entrance ... Quake risk means LNG plant is a bad idea ... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor, Aug. 16 Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Aug. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News It's about the law On Aug. 9, Russ McKinley, with fine forest industry credentials, took issue with my July 13 opinion, "Forest Practices Act can (but doesn't) do the job" ( www.mailtribune.com/article/20150713/NEWS/150719862 ). His only reference to my piece claimed that my "central premise" was that private forestland is "bad for the state." I wrote nothing of the sort, but simply acknowledged that industrial goals are "understandably to maximize profits by logging." McKinley offers a welcome report that the industry is reducing environmental damage compared to 40 years ago. Fine. But I was writing rather about the need to modernize  state laws  governing logging. These have allowed aerial spraying of herbicides with no buffers around homes, and insufficient harvest buffers to keep streams cool — evident in the state's own recent Ripstream study. The types of reforms Mr. McKinley discusses should be recognized in our woeful state rules; this would put responsible and recalcitrant industrial managers on a level playing field. If the industry is doing such a great job, it should not fear an upgrade that brings Oregon's law up to the level of our neighboring states, and that addresses recent rulings of federal agencies that our regulations are inadequate. Tim Palmer Port Orford Fuming and venting It's very disheartening to walk outside thinking I can breathe in some cool, fresh morning air and instead smell the asphalt plant at work. I live more than a quarter mile away from it, and still have to deal with the pollution when the winds are coming from the southeast. I hate it when that happens! Thanks for letting me fume and vent — puns intended. Judy Pierce Talent Gas is not clean I respond to Rick Nelson’s letter (Aug. 8). Had he written this several years ago, I probably would not have responded to his claims that natural gas is a clean fossil fuel. However, we now have more information. The problem with natural gas is that it is over 90 percent methane, and on a 20-year basis, methane is 85 times worse than carbon dioxide as a global warming agent. Furthermore, from extraction to combustion, natural gas leaks. Because methane is so much worse than the carbon dioxide emitted when coal, oil and natural gas are burned, not much methane has to leak to completely negate any combustion benefits of natural gas. Certainly these pipelines are all over the place, but their leaking (especially the older pipelines) contributes detectably to global warming. Current science suggests that, in reality, natural gas is the dirty fossil fuel. Additionally, this natural gas comes from fracking shale, which has its own array of negative environmental and human health impacts. As consumers, we should question claims that natural gas is a clean fuel. No fuel is totally harmless, but a transition to renewables like solar and wind will have less impact on global warming than natural gas. Kathy Conway Jacksonville We are responsible The White House has even admitted that it has not seen the Planned Parenthood videos. They are adamant in the defense of them, but they haven't even seen them. After watching what goes on inside the Planned Parenthood clinics, can you make any excuse great enough to wipe away the babies that are being torn apart and sold? I have found the biggest defense of Planned Parenthood to be that they offer so many great services that women come to rely on. If I might mention — there are over 9,000 community health centers vs. the 700 PP clinics. The community health centers offer all that PP offers and many more services. William Wilberforce said, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” I think that with the latest videos we have seen exposing what goes on inside Planned Parenthood, we can try to excuse it away or just look the other way, but we are now responsible because we have seen the truth. Ethan Hill Eagle Point   MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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