Open Letter to the Maine Public Utilities Commission

Letter to the editor: Response to Sam Chase '16

To the Editor:
Your columnist Sam Chase says of me, “Easterbrook... is quick to proclaim his intellectual and moral superiority over, well, anyone who isn’t him,” in his column last week, "Hot takes and paragraph breaks: mocking the worst of sports writing."
Okay, that’s his opinion. Curious nothing is cited to support this sweeping generalization. In what instance did I “proclaim” my “moral superiority” over “anyone who isn’t” me? I doubt Bowdoin professors accept papers that contain far-reaching ad hominen condemnations unsupported by a single specific.
Chase further declares that I am “not exactly strapped for cash.” How does the Bowdoin Orient claim to know this? What possible information could your newspaper have about my finances? Chase certainly never called me for any form of fact-checking. I hope Bowdoin students do not imagine that writing serious nonfiction books, literary novels and Atlantic Monthly articles—how I spend most of my time—is a path to riches. When my son Grant Easterbrook ’11 attended Bowdoin, he received financial aid. Which your columnist would have known if he’d engaged in even the most rudimentary fact-checking steps.
One of the temptations faced by students who attend elite colleges such as Bowdoin is making oneself seem important by mocking others. I hope Chase will learn to overcome this sophomoric (in more ways than one) inclination. He’s obviously got a lot to learn about how to write carefully.
Regards,Gregg Easterbrook P ’11Bethesda, Maryland

Letter to the editor: Mills: clarifying my divestment position

To the Editor:
A story in the April 24 edition of the Orient ("Mills: Trustees likely too busy to meet with students on divestment this year") included comments by me that have been interpreted incorrectly by some as a statement that legitimizes the view that climate change does not exist.
To be clear, I agree that climate change is real. I believe it is a critical—or, as I said to the Orient—a “hugely important” issue. The scientific evidence is compelling, and I believe that those who deny the existence of climate change are incorrect. However, the overwhelming scientific evidence and the consensus among scientists on the issue does not eliminate the fact that there are those who have different points of view—views shaped by a different interpretation of science, or guided by economics or politics.
More importantly, even for those of us who agree on the existence of climate change, no one can argue that there is currently a consensus at the federal, state, local, or individual level on what to do about the problem, particularly when it comes to energy and conservation. For example, some believe in the imposition of a steep gas tax; others believe in the expansion of hydraulic fracturing. For some, alternative energy like solar and wind power are the answer. For others, a revival of nuclear power offers the best way forward. So, while there should not be a legitimate debate about the existence of climate change, there is surely an ongoing legitimate debate about the solutions.
I believe it is inappropriate for Bowdoin to ignore our duties to the College and our endowment by essentially picking “the winner” among these many positions through divestment from fossil fuels. And those who assert that the economic consequences of divestment to our endowment would not be substantial are profoundly misinformed. The “symbolic” statement of divestment would result in significant changes to our College that would affect each and every one of us today as well as future generations.
That said, I have arranged to have students from Bowdoin Climate Action meet with Bowdoin trustees in October to continue this discussion. I have also offered to consult with the students in preparation for that meeting. While I disagree with their approach, I respect our students’ passion for this critical issue and I applaud their eagerness to join the national debate over what can be done to tackle climate change in our time.
Sincerely,
Barry Mills

Letter to the editor

Open Letter to the Maine Public Utilities Commission

April 10, 2014

To the Editor:

Last week you saw us, the students of Bowdoin College, turn out in strong numbers and speak passionately at the hearings in opposition to the Central Maine Power (CMP) rate change. We spoke to news outlets and directly to you about how a rate change—in particular a standby fee on renewables—would put progress at risk, adversely effect our school, and put our futures in Maine in jeopardy.

The Friday after the hearings, still feeling the rush of excitement from the hearings, Bowdoin students mobilized to turn off all of the light switches accessible to them and un-plug as many devices as possible from CMP’s grid. Part visual experiment, part boycott, during those fifteen minutes we were able to decrease energy use by 7.7 percent overall and by 13 percent on North Campus where the Quad, most of the first year bricks, and the majority of the academic buildings reside. Because a large portion of this decrease came from the dorms, some of which reduced their energy use by more than half, it is clear how much massive student support and collaboration was required to create this kind of event.

Beyond the practicality of a 15-minute boycott of CMP’s services, there was a beauty to it. The campus was unlike I had ever seen it. The freshman bricks only sported ribbons of light from the automatically illuminated bathrooms. In a transformation of one of Bowdoin’s most iconic buildings, Hubbard’s black silhouette revealed no light from the interior. Even Coles Tower, the second tallest building in Maine and our second largest residence hall, managed to go completely black.

How did this happen? Well, 76 students volunteered to turn off lights outside of their room, but there were far more students, faculty and staff who made sure that their rooms, offices, and break spaces were dark and unplugged. There are remarkably few times when the campus is unified around one issue, and this was one of them.

Maine Public Utilities Commission, (MPUC) we call on you to make a choice for the future of this great state. Do not approve the rate change. Do not punish renewables. Instead, help us move into a future that allows us, as citizens of Maine and as citizens of humanity, to chose to be energy independent.

Thank you for your service to the state of Maine. I hope you make the right choice for the state you serve.

Bridgett McCoy ’15

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