Plan needed

Re “Youngkin’s attacks on Clean Cars threaten climate progress” (Other Views, Jan. 21): Walton C. Shepherd’s opinion piece says, “Gov. Glenn Youngkin only attacks climate progress, all while offering zero solutions of his own.” And he writes, “Youngkin’s latest destructive salvo is his call to repeal a keystone climate law: Virginia’s Clean Cars initiative. That ... reduces emissions by gradually shifting states away from higher-cost, polluting cars fueled by expensive petroleum, over to cleaner cars fueled by lower-cost electricity.” Shepherd did not support his claims that internal combustion engine cars are “higher cost” (purchase price? cost per mile?) nor that the electricity for electric vehicles is “lower cost” (lower than building or home electricity? time value of battery charge wait time?). He later states, “Filling the tank with electricity induces reverse-sticker shock (and joy): It costs a mere third of what filling up with gas costs today.” What is the basis for such a claim?

What is the goal of this 18-state group?

If we stop driving internal combustion engine vehicles in all 18 states today, the effect on the climate will be negligible. If the transition to electric vehicles takes 30 years, the effect will still be negligible. This is because the global community has yet to develop an integrated, enforceable and measurable plan to transition from fossil fuels without affecting the standard of living.

The governor is pushing back on virtue signaling by climate change alarmists. His message is that hysterical hand-wringing and arm-waving get us nowhere. Let’s build a workable transition plan instead.

— Chuck Doty, Norfolk