Quigley’s departure from DEP is Pa.’s loss

John Quigley, who “resigned” May 20 as secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP Secretary John Quigley Abruptly Quits Cabinet Post,” May 21), was just doing his job (and he was the perfect man for the job).

Turning DEP around was akin to making a U-turn with a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the Susquehanna River, but despite the lack of staffing, he was making long-overdue changes.

Mr. Quigley was not “overregulating” the oil and gas industry; he was simply enforcing the present rules that protect our air and water.

Sadly, some politicians were more interested in protecting their oil and gas industry friends than protecting the health of their constituents. They did a hatchet job on Mr. Quigley.

For a brief time, there was hope for DEP. Taxpayers are still footing the bill for cleaning up from the past extraction industry.

As Yogi Berra said, “It’s deja vu all over again.” Gov. Wolf, you will realize your mistake in the future. This is a sad footnote for your legacy. RICHARD MARTIN

Coordinator PaForestCoalition.org

Boiling Springs, Pa. proper moral sensibility, offered this succinct observation: “I live as I do for my own self-respect, and for the respect of others.” Isn’t this the same expectation we should have of any of our fellow citizens? No theistic invocations need be involved.

Neuroscientist Sam Harris writes, in “The Moral Landscape,” that most of our principles of decency are hard-wired, fine-tuned over millennia and long preceding religious faith. Immoral behavior clearly exists, but absence of religion is not the underlying reason.

Mr. Hynds seems well-intentioned, and, on one point at least — the coarsening of political discourse — he makes a quite valid case. One particular candidate is largely responsible for this turn of events, however, and with luck, he will be soon forgotten.

To the larger subject, though: The answers we seek lie within ourselves, and not while kneeling over a church pew. JAN MEISTER

McCandless

On Mother’s Day, I made my drive to the city of Duquesne to visit the grave of my parents at the old Holy Name Cemetery adjacent to Holy Trinity Church. Duquesne has suffered the plight of retreating businesses and deteriorating road conditions but has tried to maintain the city and its roads (somewhat) over the years.

But as I drove up Grant Avenue, I hit the old brick road portion, so I drove slowly, as those old bricks are not as forgiving as asphalt. Continuing along Homestead-Duquesne Road, I came to my right turn onto Grant Avenue Extension, and I was absolutely shocked at the awful asphalt road condition. It’s so badly deteriorated with uplifting asphalt, creating ups and downs as you drive, that it’s like driving over a

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mountainous plain that rocks and shakes one’s car. If you do not drive super slowly, you will not have any shocks left — or car, for that matter.

I couldn’t believe that the people who live there haven’t called their political representatives locally and statewide to try to have that mountainous road dug up and resurfaced. I feel bad that those folks have to drive up and down such a deplorable road every day.

Many people live off that road and many people from out of town visit the cemetery. Unfortunately, they have to travel up that hill — I’m sure much to their distress. I’m also sure that if this were a road condition near a local politician, this awful road condition would not exist.

Again, southwestern Pennsylvania is forgotten and ignored, as our roads attest. DAVE EVANOVICH

North Versailles