Off Limits 

Editor:

The Trump Administration released a draft plan to open up coastal waters to oil drilling from along the Atlantic region, the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Region and off the coast of Alaska ("Interior Releases Draft Plan to Open North Coast Waters to Oil Drilling," posted online Jan. 4). This means us, folks, and points south and north of us along the West Coast if this plan is approved. It means more oil spills, more carbon being released into the atmosphere, health crises, more tragic weather related emergencies, more displaced populations as sea levels rise and parts of the world are too hot for habitation.

It also means more money into the pockets of energy extraction corporations. The resources that will be necessary to start pumping oil from the ocean floors could be used to expand solar, wind, wave generation and bio-fuels to generate cleaner fuels. It could be used to develop the infrastructure for electric car "pumping" stations from the West Coast to the East Coast.

We all need to do our part to lower our carbon footprint and live sustainable lives. We live in an excellent part of the country to reach a 100 percent renewable energy supply. But, it's hard to do this alone. We need to work together to achieve this goal. If you are interested in getting involved, there is a branch of www.350.org in Humboldt County that is working on these issues. I also encourage you to write U.S. Interior Secretary Zinke to let him know the North Coast should be kept off limits.

Gail Coonen, Freshwater