Letters to the editor for March 10
Washington state slow to deliver vaccinations
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Washington state has received 2.7 million doses of vaccine, and administered only 2.2 million.
That means about a half-million sitting in freezers somewhere. Or worse.
West Virginia has administered over 85% of theirs. How did they do it? Simple: They created a single statewide appointment process, back in October, administered by the state Department of Health. And they delegated vaccine logistics to a single statewide entity, the National Guard. It’s not rocket science (and not a state noted for its vision, integrity, commitment, efficiency, or competence).
According to the CDC data, Washington state is #37 in vaccinations completed per 100,000 residents.
Why is this state so slow? We can do better. We should do better. If we want schools to open, restaurants to survive, and businesses to recover, we MUST do better.
Gov. Inslee, Sen. Hunt, and Rep. Dolan and Bateman: Fix this now!
Jim Lazar, Olympia
No Chehalis River dam
The water retention dam proposed for the Chehalis River near Pe Ell should not be built. A new dam will destroy too much fish habitat, cost too much and not stop flood damage on Interstate 5.
The habitat improvements for fish should be the major push. Habitat improvements focus on the existing flood plain areas that traditionally have absorbed floods from high waters on the Chehalis River.
The push for a dam is the result of major local interests in Chehalis and Centralia that want a dam. Development must be stopped in flood plain areas in Lewis County. If reduced costs to flooding in the future is the goal of the studies, then demanding that development stop in the flood plain areas is a must. The Chehalis Board claims that limiting development is a local government issue. But it is Lewis County that is pushing for the dam. They cannot have it both ways. Lewis County cannot push for a dam at everyone’s expense and then claim that developing in a flood plain is a local issue.
Taxpayers and fish habitat cannot be sacrificed for Lewis County developers.
John Newman, Olympia
Good steps forward for environment
It’s exciting to witness environmental protection legislation being enacted both at state and federal levels. I hope we can work together to increase bipartisan support for such legislation, as economic and ecological health go hand-in-hand.
Specifically I ask our legislators to safeguard our state’s natural places, such as mountains, forests and water bodies. These are beloved by residents and visitors alike, contributing valuable tourism money to our economy. They enrich our physical and mental health when we hike, bike, recreate and soak in their beauty.
Imagine the possibility of protecting 30% of America’s wild and scenic lands by 2030. This commitment is being adopted by other countries as a way to protect humans and biodiversity.
Fostering health of wild species is essential. They provide valuable ecosystem services, such as water filtration, carbon sequestration and pollination. I hope our state elected officials, including our governor, will safeguard bees and other pollinators (and thus our food supply) by funding native plant gardening incentives and banning neonicotinoids (bee-killing pesticides).
We can exercise our citizen power by nixing pesticides and other harmful chemicals from our gardening routine, and increasing the native plant quotient of our yard. Pollinators, other wildlife, and the whole ecosystem will benefit.
Rebecca Canright, Olympia