Innovation made the country great
I have read with great interest the article in The Gazette, regarding the “controversy” of Neumann Systems Group (NSG) scrubbers being installed at Colorado Springs Utilities.
What has happened to innovation, creativity, and boldness in our community? Dr. Dave Neumann is a brilliant man who has worked out a “win-win” solution for our community-owned utility. He has come forward with a system that will do what the federal mandates require, not only under what was budgeted by Utilities, but with an open door for the utility to make money in future sales of this new technology. While you may refer to it as “unproven technology,” all of the tests have proven successful leading up to the full-scale implementation. The boldness offered by NSG, accepted by Utilities, and endorsed by our council is the kind of innovation that has made out country great, and makes Utilities customers happy with lower rates.
To the naysayers out there, let me remind you of a similar situation over a century ago. A pennyless Croatian immigrant named Nicola Tesla came to the USA and worked for Thomas Edison. The Edison electrical system had established itself installing direct current electricity (DC) in the major cities in the USA. The innovative Tesla tried to prove his alternating current (AC) system superior to the existing way of producing electricity. When his ideas were rejected by Edison, Tesla’s ideas were sold to George Westinghouse. The supporters of DC electricity enlisted Professor Harold Brown in a smear campaign, electrocuting dogs and old horses with alternating current to discredit these new ideas.
Alternating current won out when the Westinghouse corporation won the bid for the first all-electric Chicago World’s Fair. The ironic ending was that Nicola Tesla eventually won the prestigious Edison award for his innovative ideas.
Hmmmm...did I read recently that the Neumann Systems Group is being nominated for the Edison award? And is there any sanity at all in the idea of the Sierra Club filing suit against Utilities for cleaning up their emissions and complying with the EPA regulations?
Chuck Hendrick
Colorado Springs
Handing out thanks and kudos
I have two baskets full of thanks and kudos to hand out this morning. One for The Gazette for saying “Merry Christmas” instead of the other greeting — and on the front page, even!
The other is for Jim Hurd’s letter in the Dec. 25 Op-Ed section. I totally agree with him and couldn’t have said it better myself.
Sally Pearce
Manitou Springs
This not a gun-free zone
As I read about the unspeakable tragedy of all those little children and their teachers being shot to pieces I have to think that we can do something to lessen the chances of this happening again. Any human being who could even contemplate such a horrible crime as this is clinically insane.
Unfortunately, for many years now people that have the sort of chemical, mental or genetic imbalance to contemplate such vicious acts seem to be more common. We used to have hospitals to treat such people but now in the name of individual rights they are neither treated nor locked up and live freely with us today. They can be expected to commit such horrific crimes again.
Simply passing a law that certain kinds of weapons should be prohibited by law based on how they look is silly and it didn’t work. It is now evident that those states that have concealed carry laws have a much lower crime rate than those states that do not. The concealed carry people have been trained in the responsible use of firearms and many are teachers or work in schools.
I suggest schools and other public areas choosing to do so, post visible signs that this is not a gun free zone. The cost would be minimal. This first step could very well go viral and not having such a sign might be regarded as an invitation to violence.
Samuel D. Gerrish
Colorado Springs
Let’s give these spills names
We might be the luckiest county in Colorado. We just received a wake-up call, and it’s time for every county and city elected official to pay attention. The Gazette’s Dec. 22, article, “Hilcorp looks into water spill,” should cause the Board of County Commissioners and the City Council to rethink local oil and gas regulations and include our own robust inspections among other things.
Why were the tanks not checked by an onsite supervisor or some other expert to ensure that they were leak-free and normal? Why did 1.8 million gallons have to spill before anyone noticed the problem? Aren’t these operations carefully supervised?
The goal, folks, is to prevent spills and releases, and it’s going to take strong local rules and robust ongoing inspections to do just that. The description of the “above-ground fresh water tanks” is confusing. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission website for Hilcorp well 428932 has a Sundry Notice approved on Dec. 21 that allows Hilcorp to construct a fresh water pit on the well pad (130’ x 230’ x 18’). Is that what leaked?
Let’s give these spills names so we remember who approved the dismal county rules. The first spill can be the Lathen 1.
It’s a wake-up call. Let’s hope they are all listening.
Mary J. Talbott
Colorado Springs
Thanks for all the changes
Yeah Gazette! You’ve made me a happy subscriber. What an improvement recently, especially the op/ed page. When you downsized several years ago, I threatened to stop my subscription, and you took me up on it and canceled on the next renewal date. I made a humble phone call to keep the paper coming and gutted it out. Sometimes it is worth the disappointment. Now I’m in good company with a lot of daily readers. Thanks for all the changes and improvements.
Charles R. Bottomstone
Colorado Springs
Correction
A poem “Twas’ 11 days before Christmas”, included in the Dec. 23 letters to the editor was written by Cameo Smith, of Mount Wolf, PA, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.