Transporting destruction
Being stalled in our auto while mile-long trains move through our beloved city may be only a nuisance. The real problem is that these trains are exporting our precious nonrenewable energy resources, which we should be preserving for our children. Every pound of carbon in those trains is converted into 3.67 pounds of carbon dioxide, much of it returned to us on the prevailing westerly winds as greenhouse gases.
Once mined or extracted, the coal and petroleum are gone, but the greenhouse gases may linger for years. We can only hope that our political parties can join hands and deal promptly with this vital issue.
Robert Schwandt
Spokane Valley