When it comes to Northern Pass, let’s learn from past mistakes

To the editor:

Tiler Eaton’s defense of the Northern Pass project (“Northern Pass burial is economically unviable,” Oct. 4-17 NHBR) is the same kind of approach that has led to most of our most pressing environmental problems.

“It is too expensive to properly locate and/or treat mine tailing and slag heaps.”

“There will be an unreasonable additional cost for safety valves, shut-off mechanisms and backup systems on our oil rigs.”

“Eliminating, even reducing, power plant emissions will negatively impact the cost of electricity, eliminate jobs, etc.”

And so it goes. The great majority of the population is left to deal with poor air quality, polluted rivers, tainted water supplies, disfigured landscapes, illness and sometimes death, all in the name of saving money (increasing profits) for the big corporations, all too often at the expense of the taxpayer to clean up the mess, not to mention higher medical and insurance costs and disruption of families and sometimes whole communities.

When do we begin to learn from our past mistakes?

Anthony McManus

Dover