Letters to the Editor: Low gas prices prolong our addiction to cars and fossil fuels

To the editor: It’s crazy to me that with much of the world literally burning down around us, we’re still worried about gas prices going up. (“Another refinery shuts down in California. What happens to gas prices?” Oct. 18)

Instead we should be focused on ending our addiction to cars, which is what got us into this mess to begin with. Low gas prices just prolong that addiction and don’t reflect the environmental cost that cars have taken.

I’m disappointed that the governor is wasting time trying to keep gas prices low when he should be encouraging an all-hands-on-deck effort to build the infrastructure we need to ditch cars for good. Imagine living in a world where we aren’t dependent upon the whims of the oil industry to afford our daily commute.

Justin Johnson, Hermosa Beach

..

To the editor: The closure of these refineries is good news for the environment. It shows the fossil fuel industry is on the decline.

You quote the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance Alessandra Magnasco as saying that our leaders are more concerned with political theater than with real problems. News flash for Magnasco: Climate change is a real problem.

Some have questioned whether the state can meet the goal of all new passenger cars and trucks being zero-emission by 2035. These closures, surely, will help move us in that direction.

Murray Zichlinsky, Long Beach