Letters to the Editor 04/30/2008

To the Editor:

Last week I wrote that I was somewhat disappointed with The Nugget for printing the opinion piece "Driving Green," written by Joseph Duerrmeyer. He contends that just because a car is a hybrid or uses less gas doesn't automatically make it a more environmentally friendly car.

He has a good point and I think this is a healthy discussion about something that should matter to all of us: how to become more environmentally responsible. I want to thank Mr. Duerrmeyer for beginning this debate.

In last week's letter Mr. Duerrmeyer states that the nickel battery used in the Prius is a known carcinogen and the mining process is environmentally harmful. Nickel production is certainly a health concern, but according to the Environmental Protection Agency lead is far riskier.

The EPA 2003 report "Getting the Lead Out" estimates 2.6 million metric tons of lead can be found in the batteries of vehicles on the road today. The federal Toxic Release Inventory indicates 70,000 metric tons are released in the lead mining and manufacturing process. As the top customers of the lead industry, automakers and starter battery manufacturers perpetuate the heavy pollution of air, water and soil associated with lead production.

The need for better battery technologies to power vehicles prompted Environmental Defense to conduct a research effort in 2005 to examine environmental impacts related to the extraction, manufacture, use and disposal of nickel metal hydride batteries as well as lithium ion. Environmental Defense then compared those impacts to lead acid. Their conclusion: Lead is the worst, nickel is next and lithium is the least harmful.

Mr. Duerrmeyer doesn't mention that all cars contain nickel in their frames-the Hummer's frame, for example, has twice as much nickel as the Prius. He also doesn't mention the Prius battery is recycled (a fact denied in the CNW Report) and Toyota offers a $200 bounty to ensure that every battery comes back to the company and doesn't end up in landfills. Finally, it was not mentioned that Toyota is moving away from nickel batteries to lithium and hopes to have the technology figured out by late this year or early 2009.

No matter how you look at it, defending the greater environmental benefits of the Hummer over the Prius is absurd.

Terry Weygandt

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To the Editor:

Do you need your income tax rebate? All of it? Consider a donation to your community:

• Environment: Deschutes Land Trust; http://www.deschuteslandtrust.org; 330-0017.

• Health care for the Uninsured: Volunteers in Medicine; http://www.vim-cascades.org. 330-9054.

• Housing: Habitat for Humanity; http://www.sistershabitat.org; 549-1193.

• Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention: Think Again ParentS; http://www.thinkagainparents.com; 549-2091.

• Schools: The Sisters Americana Project; http://www.sistersfolkfestival.org; 549-4979.

Bob Collins