Air quality in Lakeview has deteriorated since I moved here in 2001.
A couple weeks ago I could not see the houses behind mine early in the morning in downtown. Around 9 a.m. a high thick wall of smog slowly moved north along the ground as the wind picked up in the neighborhood. Just south of town a 10-year-old friend was having continual bronchial breathing difficulties.
During summers alkali dust and forest fire smoke and soot blow inform other areas, with local wood stove smoke overlapping or closely following in the fall.
My generation protested during the Nixon years for clean air and water quality standard. Are we willing now to complacently allow the Town and County leaders to negotiate with the Department of Environmental Quality to relax EPA standards for another three years – while they file paperwork of a management plan…. So they can return to cutting forests and build a biomass plant?
Could we begin to think about other sources of jobs than sawmills?
Could we find funding, as other towns have done, to build a solar panel field on Stock Drive to lower costs of electric for our businesses and homes, and replace wood stoves with clean electric heat?
DeeLoris Benson
Lakeview
Hassan bin Sober (Real name withheld ): 
Nichole McKeon:
This is a common problem in many communities this time of year. Those of us who call the Pacific NW our home are not going to give up our woodstoves without a fight. I say bring it on.
I’m not a big fan of electric heat however. When the power goes out, you got nothing but the sound of teeth chattering all across the land. I live on the coast. Power outages are common here, and I’ve found that propane is the way to go.
Lake county is in a very unique position in Oregon. You’ve got a well developed geothermal program AND a well developed solar energy program. Why not set an example? You could be one of the cleanest localities in the entire Pacific NW.
Just as soon as you make burning wood an uncool thing to do. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good roaring fire on a cold winter’s night. It’s atmosperic to the max. But for those who burn wood exclusively to stay warm, you need to reach out and provide them with other options.
Lake country is bursting at the seams with alternative energy. But it’s not going to do any good if it doesn’t reach the people who need it the most.
D