Oil and gas forever?

American inventiveness and innovation has been working, seemingly overtime, making significant advances in energy conservation and development of alternative energy sources. Oil and gas industries seeing a substantial decline in product demand, a glut of fracked oil and gas, has caused them to reverse product strategy.

Immense sums have been spent on construction of plastic manufacturing facilities; industry intent is to keep fossil fuels flowing. Anticipating further losses in consumption of fossil fuels for energy generation and transportation, these corporations are planning to smother the globe in plastic production. More plastic products and tons of packaging are heading our way.

Our reliance on plastic products and packaging must be reduced and in many situations eliminated for the safety of our people and environmental health. Extraction, processing, storage, transport of oil and gas, production of plastics, petrochemicals and the many materials derived from these “fossil resources” are becoming the downfall of our civilization.

It's not just about the catastrophic hazards of global warming. Concern for daily living, health of people and environment necessitates investment in sensible choices over profit outcomes, cooperative efforts over individual wants, long term sustainability over shortlived gains. As a start this means no approval of gas powered energy plants, including Killingly. No expansion of plastics. An improved bottle redemption system. Standardization to reduce and eliminate plastic packaging. Funding renewable energy and sustainable electrified transport vehicles and systems. Development of a real “smart” grid. Now. It's about all of our lives and future generations. David Schneider

Branford