Letters: Maryland should drop credits for hydrogen fuel cell cars, Bay Bridge location and Shannon Kent

Hydrogen cell cars

Although Gov. Larry Hogan promoted fuel cell cars at a news conference Thursday, after a decade of 6-to1 California rules advantages given to hydrogen over Electric Vehicles (EV’s) the market has spoken and these cars are only selling at 1 percent of battery EV sales.

The market has spoken, there is no business model nor environmental advantage for hydrogen fuel cell cars compared to EVs.

There is no natural source of hydrogen on Earth that does not take more energy to produce than the hydrogen itself and there is no distribution system compared to the grid’s outlet at every home and workplace in Maryland for EVs.

Hydrogen’s only claim is having 300-plus mile range, yet now more than half of the 42 EV’s now on the market have ranges over 350 miles and also over half now cost less (with incentives) than the average gas car ($35,000).

The only thing holding back EV’s is consumer education. The governor should not confuse the public by throwing this California market-failure Fuel Cell car into Maryland’s Initiatives for clean transportation.

BOB BRUNINGA

Glen Burnie

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bob Bruninga is a member of the National Committee on Transportation and Aerospace Policy for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

New bay bridge

I find your editorial paper to be less than sympathetic to those of us living with the traffic issues of the existing Bay Bridges on a daily basis (The Capital, Feb. 15).

I was born and still live on Kent Island, experiencing first hand the explosive population growth and problems that have come with that. I commuted to Annapolis to work for 32 years, watching the construction of the westbound span as I went.

Even then, we islanders had to plan our weekend errands and travel because navigating the island was at times, very difficult due to the increased traffic.

Fast forward to the present, and we are all but gridlocked from Wednesday, Thursday, through Sunday evenings during the vacation months, and any other day of the week that an accident occurs on the bridge.

Service roads and side streets become parking lots because travelers cut through the few side streets we have. This island cannot take more traffic congestion.

We are an island. One main route north and south of Route 50, we’re only about four miles wide. When there is a traffic issue, we cannot move. Emergency vehicles cannot get through.

If another bridge is ever built, putting it here would be the final nail in the coffin for what was once a peaceful, beautiful and serene place to live. I understand the other areas’ reluctance to have one in their back yards, but if placed in an area that has more space and land mass to have alternate roadways so residents aren’t trapped is a much better way to approach this debacle.

Kent Island cannot take anymore!

PATTY BAKER

Kent Island

Shannon Kent

Regarding your editorial “Anne Arundel’s war dead grows by one” (The Capital, Feb. 11):

With the tragic loss of five of your own to a rogue shooter and the Capital Gazette Families Fund as a memorial fund to help survivors, your awareness and experience of sadness and loss continues and will not be forgotten.

The tragic massacre of Shannon Kent by a suicide bomber in Syria is a national tragedy that is mainly known by a select few in Maryland and sadly may soon be forgotten.

The Defense Department deployed her to a combat zone after delaying/denying her request for a medical waiver to advance her to commissioned officer status and continuing to faithfully serve her country as a clinical psychologist, helping heal veterans with post-traumatic stress.

Please indicate suggestions learned from the continuing sorrow suffered by the Capital Gazette loss to answer your statement: “Anne Arundel County now must move quickly to honor Kent.”

KEN BARNES

Brooklyn Park