Pontification? No, just facts.

In a recent letter, Jim Davies said that I pontificated in my March 22 letter. That seems a rather odd choice of words.

My letter contained a straightforward estimate of the immense cost that would be incurred in trying to electrify all energy in the U.S. that is now supplied directly by fossil fuels. It was based on clearly identified data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and contained very little that was my personal opinion.

Conversely, Davies has stated his opinion without supporting evidence, more than once regarding so-called evils of fossil fuels.

In his latest offering, he does cite two studies that claim millions of deaths are caused by fossil fuels. Neither study contains any documentation of actual deaths.

Instead, both rely almost entirely on controversial statistical studies of the effects of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5.

Steve Milloy in “Scare Pollution”

explores the EPA’S long, rather sordid history regarding PM2.5 effects. To justify regulating PM2.5 the EPA maintained that PM2.5 inhalation causes premature deaths.

But then, it was discovered that EPA sponsored studies had exposed study subjects to levels of PM2.5 21 times higher than the EPA’S own target standard. Astonishingly, these studies even included spraying diesel exhaust up the noses of children 10 to 15 years old.

When confronted with this, the EPA maintained PM2.5 wasn’t dangerous to the study subjects. That casts considerable doubt on the studies cited by Davies.

A more legitimate view of fossil fuels is given in “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels,” by Alex Epstein. Epstein sums up, “The fossil fuel industry is far and away the world leader at producing cheap, plentiful, reliable energy and … that energy has radically increased our ability to create a flourishing society, a more livable climate, and greater environmental quality.”

— Carl Brady, Frederick