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Several events occurred recently that show we are in an energy transition. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland was in Bend. She talked about fires and climate, but during the same week, the Alaska Willow oil development project was approved by her administration. The same week, the IPCC released its report that indicated increased world temperature due to CO2 levels is inevitable.

The place where we are in time now is a place where renewable energy sources and technologies are on the upswing, but oil/gas for energy and materials will be needed for a long time and will have a long decline tail. We will need developments like Willow, while at the same time we will need to increase development of renewable sources of energy.

The good news is that likely in 50 years, nuclear fusion will be perfected and hopefully be generating almost unlimited commercial power without affecting the environment. And, in 100 years, this unlimited energy could power the equipment that will start to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. So, there is optimism for the future if we can manage our way through this transition.

— Dave Norton, Bend

TUF is not better

The recent editorial by the Bulletin states “A TUF for Bend may be better than a gas tax or a sales tax.” A TUF is a transportation utility fee. I do not agree that an imposed fee is better than a vote by the people who are affected. We can vote on a tax; we cannot vote on a “fee.”

In this case, it will be imposed on us by the Bend City Council. The City Council imposed a “fee” several years ago, and it was a quarterly stormwater “fee” at $12. When I called about an increase we experienced, I was told it was a legal increase. It is now $20.33 quarterly. And who knows how high it will go from here?

The first I heard of a TUF, it was proposed at $10 per month per household. And if it was legal to increase the stormwater fee you can be assured it will be legal when they decide to increase the TUF!

The city can apparently increase a “fee” at whim but at least if it is a tax, we will be able to vote on any increases. The proposed TUF equates to $120 annually. Don’t let this TUF slip by uncontested! Of course, a vote is risky for the City Council unless they can put forward substantiated facts and figures supporting the need for additional funding to be considered by the voters!

— Jeri Baumeister, Bend

Bend needs to end the weaving around potholes

Tom Combs March 21 letter regarding potholes was right on the mark. I hope everyone on the city council saw it. I’ve lived here for over 40 years, and the city street conditions, especially this time of year, have never been much to brag about. It’s hard for a city police car following you trying to figure out as you’re weaving back and forth whether you’re driving under the influence or just trying to avoid busting a tire or wheel. It’s especially difficult at night when you can’t see the potholes.

The city needs a bigger budget to be able to repair our roads every year properly and not with those temporary patch jobs that last about a week. His letter included some good ways to accomplish that.

— Thomas M. Hart, Bend

Thanks so much for your front-page coverage of “Tall Annie, a life in two genders.” Most of us have relatives or friends who are not comfortable in their biological gender, whether they go public with that or not. They may struggle to hide feelings that do not fit rigid male or female stereotypes.

Gender actually is not an “either-or” situation. Most of us have qualities that tradition assigns as male or female. If you are male, do you like growing flowers? Cooking? Does that make you less male? Of course not. If you are female, do you like playing sports? Rugged hiking? These are not just “male” traits.

Gender is on a sliding scale. Public attitudes about gender are becoming more realistic, freeing many people to express their felt gender rather than fitting their biological sex.

Some states have tried to stuff attitudes back into 1950 stereotypes, with “don’t say gay” laws. But most folks have found that our country is more productive and creative by letting people express the gender they feel fits them, rather than pushing us into stereotypes that don’t fit people’s real selves.

Thanks for Annie’s courage.

— Allan Smyth, Prineville

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