Pierce County is the last place a new Puget Sound airport should be built. Here’s why
No new airport in Pierce County
Thank you, Matt Driscoll, for your recent column stating that “Pierce County should say ‘no’ to new Puget Sound airport.” Now, Matt, please try to get the rest of The News Tribune Editorial Board to echo your plea.
Pierce County government has the clout to automatically reject this preposterous proposal. Decades ago, the county adopted a land-use plan to limit commercial development and sprawl to areas north of 224th Street East. Out here, wildlife runs free, including a large elk herd that regularly traverses both proposed airport sites. The south fork of Muck Creek, a Nisqually River tributary, also meanders through the proposed airport zone. The Nisqually Tribe cherishes the salmon in that river. Its watershed area deserves protection, too.
Out here, folks run horses, cattle, sheep and goats. We shouldn’t have to move. The area lacks public sewers and water; an airport would likely overwhelm the closest existing systems, whether in Eatonville or Pierce County. Roads are already crowded. So what’s the sense of putting an airport out here where nobody wants the noise, traffic or air pollution that would go along with it? Site the new airport elsewhere. The I-5 corridor is where the growth is. Not in this rural area.
Susan Gordon, Eatonville
Don’t breach Snake River dams
The hydropower dams on the Snake River give us electric power, irrigation water for farmers, and barge transport of important commodities. The climate is changing and water is becoming scarce. Holding back river water for critical uses is what hydropower dams can do.
The Snake and Columbia rivers are polluted and the fish are also polluted and not healthy to eat. Therefore, restoring these river fish is hardly economical or safe and will require an extended timeframe. A more economically sound plan would address Puget Sound fish populations and Alaska fish populations.
Protection of water supplies for irrigation and drinking and electric power production and protection of river commerce should remain our top priorities. Do not breach these dams.
Ron Morrison, Tacoma.
The truth about Republicans
Local Washington State Republican candidates seem less extreme than their national leadership. Generally, with some notable exceptions, they tend not to deny the results of the 2020 election. But they still fraternize with Donald Trump’s party. His people say an election has one of two results: either they win or the election was stolen.
On January 6 Trumpers attacked the U.S. Capitol in order to get their way. They shouted “Hang Mike Pence” and even set up a noose for Trump’s own Vice-President — who was loyal to Trump throughout his four years in office — in their coup attempt. His people are now unconcerned about his theft of U.S. property (the classified documents found in Mar-a-Lago), while trying to deflect attention to Hillary Clinton’s deleted e-mails.
The irony is striking. Trump’s supporters excuse the more than 1 million U.S. COVID deaths while Trump, while in office, harassed Dr. Fauci for taking action and slandered the Center for Disease Control.
Don’t be baffled. Vote for Democrats.
Dave Zink, Steilacoom
This story was originally published October 7, 2022 at 5:00 AM.