Letter: Woodstove program overlooks realities of living in SLV

Editor,
I am a little weary of programs that sound good on paper but are faulty in reality. The proposal from the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District (MBUAPCD) sounds great; funds to help people shift from one source of polluting energy to alternate energies is very positive, though short-sighted in a few ways. Not so attractive when you do the math.
Several notable people have said, “It’s the economy, stupid.” Switching to electricity has two faults. First, it is not cheap; PG&E penalizes us for using more electricity with higher rates. Second, how is that electricity produced? Ah! Fossil fuels! I would not have any objection to electricity except I can’t afford it and it is not squeaky clean unless generated by solar.
In my area, natural gas is not available. Propane is available, again at a premium price. I have two gas devices, which use propane and get a bill every so often equal to the National Debt — not economically viable for heating.
Pellet stoves are not cheap nor are the pellets. Because they require electricity, pellet stoves don’t work during power outages.
Most of us who live in the San Lorenzo Valley are well-acquainted with our power being compromised, again another place where electricity can prove to be a problem for heating.
I’m not a poor or rich man, just a middle-income person trying to survive our economy. There are many, who are worse off than I am, struggling to make ends meet.
What would be a better solution to the MBUAPCD proposal is subsidizing energy, which I am sure would be impossible.
Don’t get me wrong; I seek every “green” alternative I can, but still have to pay my bills. This is not as much a complaint, merely food for thought.
Bob McMurtry,
Felton