The coral reefs are dying because of the rising temperature of the Atlantic Ocean. The polar ice caps are disappearing at record levels. We can no longer feed our children tuna because of the high mercury contamination in their tissue, the primary source of which is fossil fuel-burning, electric power facilities. Acid rain spewing from the same source has killed the fish in the Adirondacks and now the forests are at risk too. Asthma in children is on the rise like no generation has ever seen before and is traced to the increase in particulate matter emitted from the stacks of these plants.

All of this degradation of our environment occurs while companies like ExxonMobil, which pulled in a record $10 billion in quarterly profit, raise the price of gas and home heating fuel and seek to have environmental standards rolled back.

I support wind energy. We need to invest in clean, renewable energy now. The offshore wind park is a step in the right direction. It is a way to increase our energy independence, stabilize our energy costs, and reduce harmful power-plant emissions. It is a project we need to embrace with pride, not criticize. I understand it may not be aesthetically pleasing to some to see wind turbines out in the ocean, but I look at them as beautiful sculptures. They are harbingers of hope that can breathe freely without having another polluting power plant in my backyard.

Mary Ellen Dour