Support environment

During this election season, I’ve noticed an alarming lack of leadership on critical environmental issues from Arkansas candidates. It’s apparently “smart politics” for candidates of both major parties to ridicule the topic of climate disruption, to embrace disastrous pipeline projects, and to double down on our addiction to dirty coal-fired electricity.

Smart politics does not always equate with science. I believe what science is telling us is that we must take swift and sure action to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. The results of failure are already being seen in superstorms, droughts, wildfires, and the hottest summers in recorded history.

Bashing smart environmental action might win votes, but it is not the kind of leadership we need. The EPA has proposed the “Clean Power Plan,” which contains the first-ever limits on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. For reference, plants in our small state emitted 41 million tons of CO2 just last year—and 85 percent of that came from dirty coal plants.

It’s time that our leaders and citizenry got serious about environmental stewardship. The Clean Power Plan means thousands of good-paying jobs for Arkansans in the renewable-energy and energy-efficiency fields—all while improving our environmental and public health.

In a political year, it’s a full-time job to find the truth. Count me in as someone who supports the Clean Power Plan and can see through the misinformation spread by industry and political leaders who should know better. GLEN HOOKS

Little Rock