Increased power costs They say “you can’t fix stupid,” but you can fix ignorance. Several issues come to mind worthy of review with respect to RD Nixon Power Plant and its planned future. Re: Greater pollution- compared to what? Except for the Joe Biden administration’s requirements fo r parts per billion (with a B), Nixon meets and exceeds all EPA requirements. Now how about you try researching the environmental cost and slave labor cost of extracting resources needed for construction and then disposal of solar panels and batteries? Increased utility bills are a direct result not of coal plant production costs, but of procurement of wind and solar and battery storage costs and increased power purchase costs. And guess what? Solar and wind are nice but are not reliable. Who wants to forget about power when it’s dark or the wind doesn’t blow? And battery storage only works for a few hours a day without needing recharge. Will it always blow somewhere? Yes, but nobody wants to allow transmission lines to do regional power exchange. Coal generation on the other hand can store literally months of fuel and run 24/7.Sadly, it will take brown outs and black outs to convince people that base load generation is a tremendous community asset, not a liability. Metal machinery can be and is maintainable. Good maintenance practices can keep a coal plant running for decades. Nixon could help us for another 50 years. Now if you want to talk replacement, then let’s talk small modular reactor generation. That’s a worthy green energy replacement. Until then, we need Nixon. John Bender, PE Monument Wide range of opinions Thanks for publishing such a wide range of opinions in the Colorado Springs Gazette. I lean left admittedly, but read every word of Sunday Perspectives. I appreciate the lucid explanation of events and positions from a more conservative perspective, which is valuable and helpful for me to know, and to incorporate into my thinking. Paul Lessard Colorado Springs The opposite of collaboration I read the latest Giddy Up-Date newsletter from John Hickenlooper and would like to share a perspective on immigration and the ICE enforcement activity that he obviously disagrees with, and has said he will vote against funding. In a situation where there is a divergence in how to tackle a problem, the first step is to agree on what the problem is and what the ultimate goal is. Once that agreement is in place, collaborating on an effective plan of action acceptable to all, will result in progress being made to reach the goal. When no agreement can be reached on the problem and ultimate goal, the opposite of collaboration results, which is where we are at in our current divide regarding illegal immigrants. If you aren’t willing to discuss and agree on the issue and ultimate goal, you have no leg to stand on regarding issues, objectives and strategies. When the left held the power in Washington, they held nothing in reserve in dealing with immigration the way they wanted to in support of their desired goal. The right barked and screamed about the manner in which they did that. Now that the right holds the power, they are doing it the way they see it needs to done to meet their desired goal, and the left are not only grousing but rioting and obstructing law enforcement which in part has led to some extremely regrettable outcomes. To Hickenlooper, if you want me to see your side of law enforcement, go across the aisle and work to agree on the problem and ultimate goal. I would love to see a Giddy Up-Date on those efforts. Then do your job and collaborate with all in Congress to devise an effective plan to get from where we are to the mutually agreed upon where we want to be. If you can’t do that, you don’t belong Congress. Dan Spohn Colorado Springs Questioning ICE roundups I am writing this letter as a concerned citizen and a very concerned parent related to the Article “ICE broke into home, dragged Barely Clothed Man into the Snow.” in the Gazette on, Tuesday January 20. Has our country come to the point were by our front doors can be broken down without a warrant and a citizen can be taken away by ICE Agents only to be returned later without an explanation or an apology? The incident was recorded on camera, and from reading the article again, it appears no one is being held accountable. What or who will be next? My twin sons were born in Japan, my youngest son was born in the Philippines as was my oldest daughter, while I was serving in the United States Air Force. What if one of them was swept up in one of the ICE roundups, how could they or any one of us quickly prove that we are a United States Citizen? Nathaniel J. Gilmore III Colorado Springs ...read more read less