To the Editor:

This letter is in response to a recent letter to Peninsula Daily News (3-29-18) titled “Facts Not Relative”. The writer unfortunately resorted to attacking others who don’t necessarily share her point of view regarding climate science. The debate seems to revolve around who’s brand of “science” the American public can trust.

The writer seems to believe that man’s release of C02 into the atmosphere is causing the planet’s climate to change. I, like many others disagree.

These thoughts are not my own but are shared by a significant number of others, including many credible scientists studying the earth’s climate change.

For those who may think that the science on climate change is settled, I would suggest reading Dark Winter or Cold Sun, both authored by John Casey, a former NASA scientist or numerous well written articles by Michael S. Coffman, Ph.D. found in Range Magazine www.rangemagazine.com.

Enacting draconian laws and regulations based on unsettled science is unmitigated folly. Heavy handed laws and regulations intended to stop climate change will have a devastating impact on the economy and subsequently jobs.

The Washington State Senate recently turned down SB 6203, a carbon tax bill strongly supported by Governor Jay Inslee. This bill, if passed, would have resulted in a progressive tax on C02, eventually reaching $30 per ton. The bill would have destroyed jobs and industry and further burdened the citizens of the state with the highest gasoline tax in the nation.

This has been a relentless effort on the part of Inslee and his supporters. Washingtonians wisely turned down a similar carbon tax initiative in 2016.

It seems that a necessary precursor to elected officials enacting laws and regulations would be a consensus reached by qualified scientists on both sides of the issue. It’s important to remember that a degree of liberty is lost every time a law or regulation is enacted. This reality is even more egregious when the law or regulation fails to achieve it’s intended goal.

Sincerely,

Richard Cahill

Sol Duc River