Though I had tried to ignore recent sensational sound bites about the Panama Canal, Dennis Hogan’s recent article caught my attention (“Panama Canal has a big problem — but it’s not China or Trump”). Far from being an issue of whether China is conspiring to raise shipping rates for U.S. business, it turns out the issue is one of severe drought lowering Gutan Lake to the point where large ship passages from all nations have and must further be reduced. This is yet another example that ignoring carbon pollution comes with a tangible cost. Additionally, homeowners’ insurance rates in several parts of the country and ballooning FEMA budgets over the past years are more warning signs that we need to factor the costs of inaction into the pros and cons of any policy proposals.
I want to bring this to the attention of Utah’s congressional members: Reps. Blake Moore, Burgess Owens, Celeste Maloy, Mike Kennedy, and Sens. John Curtis and Mike Lee. It is easy to miss how a warming climate is the real factor behind the limits of daily ship passages through the Panama Canal given the rhetoric that pops up across news feeds.
What can we do?
First, I urge Congress to preserve clean energy tax credits passed in the prior Congress that have already accelerated our transition to cleaner, affordable energy. These credits support an “all of the above” energy policy which includes geothermal and nuclear, and other low-cost clean energy sources. These credits are supported by both the Conservative Climate Caucus as well as Gov. Spencer Cox’s Operation Gigawatt. Clean energy tax credits are a good investment in a sustainable, healthy future for our communities.
David Kam, Salt Lake City
