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Citizens of the West would be well advised to remember the Hanford, Washington, nuclear waste products disaster (“No Easy Fix for our Nuclear Past,” December 2018).  Wind power and the rapid improvement in battery technology seem a far better match for the future electrical needs of Wyoming and the West (“New nuclear,” December 2021). One could employ […]

It’s clear that large telecoms are using huge federal dollars every year for a fiber solution that is barely moving the needle on rural needs (“How to solve the rural-urban digital divide,” hcn.org, 12/6/21). Starlink, on the other hand, offers a low-cost solution that appears to be a game changer for those in very rural […]

I enjoyed the detailed map and article highlighting inequity by county across the West (“The wealth abyss,” December 2021). However, the use of the moniker “tech bro” is unnecessarily inflammatory. Does employing this negative connotation serve any useful purpose? Do women not also work at tech companies? Good empirical research on inequality in the West […]

Thanks for reporting on the massive transfer of wealth from working people to the 1%. As shown, this has been happening in earnest for the last 40 years. Unfortunately, the author attributes this using very passive language. Incredibly, no discussion of any agency in making these changes. I recommend reading the Powell memorandum as a […]

Your story on the proposed wind farm in Idaho provides an excellent case study on the environmental challenges of replacing much of our nation’s energy infrastructure with renewables (“The fight over a windswept landscape,” December 2021). While renewables are great at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, they are not immune from numerous […]

In “What you can’t see can hurt you” (November 2021), your story claims that “natural gas is far more climate-friendly than coal.” This is poorly worded as there is nothing climate-friendly about burning fossil fuels. Natural gas is simply less climate-destructive, an important distinction. Ryan Vanzo Homer, Alaska This article appeared in the print edition […]

I just had to reach out with my compliments for the exceptionally interesting and presented article, “The nuance and beauty of the West in 2021,” (hcn.org, 1/5/22). I really did enjoy the prompt to pause this Sunday morning and journey with you through the highlights of HCN’s 2021 reportage.  Each month was presented beautifully and […]

Congratulations on this informative piece, particularly the excellent infographics by Luna Anna Archey — remarkably concise and convincing. Dale E. BusseGoldendale, Washington This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Dale E. Busse.