I was heartened to read that the sensible citizens of Hadley voted not to support the climate change emergency referendum at the recent Town Meeting. Any thought that fossil fuels could be completely eliminated in the next 28 years (by 2050 as stipulated in the referendum) is pure fantasy. Public policy should be driven by commonsensical, fact-based, and achievable goals, not wildly unrealistic goals. In 2020, 79% of the energy consumed in this country was based on fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), 12% on renewables [wind (3%), solar (1%) hydro (3%), and biomass (5%)], and 9% on nuclear (U.S. Energy Information Administration). Of course we should work toward reducing fossil fuels and replace them with alternative non-carbon based options, including nuclear, but not to the extent of impoverishing the people and making us a third world country. I applaud the people of Hadley for making decisions based on facts and reality.
David L. Adams
Hadley