To the editor:
On a day in early February (historically a very cold time of year around these parts and consistently so) when the temperature in Indianapolis reached a record high for the date of 67 degrees, a few days after it was announced that a study by British and American scientists revealed that a massive sheet of ice known as the "doomsday glacier" is melting faster than experts previously believed — edging the world closer to a possible sea level rise of more than 10 feet, the Indiana House of Representatives sent to the Senate a bill, HB 1414, backed by few outside our state government and the Indiana Coal council that was crafted to delay the closing of coal plants in Indiana, even for those plants the managers of which have determined closing is economically the right thing to do.
Sure, it’s just one proposed policy in a world full of wrong-headed policies supporting the continued use of fossil fuels. But it’s representative of a fatal disconnect between what is known — and has been known for a very long time now — and what is used to make energy production policy at this late date.
We can do better than this. We must do better. A lot better, and soon. Like now. Call (317) 232-9400 or (800) 382-9467 and ask your State Senator to oppose HB 1414. If you don’t know who your Senator is, go to http://iga.in.gov/legislative/find-legislators/ and find out.
Tom Probasco
Indianapolis
