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May 3: Causeway could be the ideal solution for Forth

May 3: Causeway could be the ideal solution for Forth

This morning’s letters to The Courier editor cover alternatives to a new Forth bridge, the election TV debates, the state of democracy and Forth Energy’s plans for Dundee.

Causeway could be the ideal solution for Forth Sir,-With regard to John Cruikshank’s letter, Energy bounty on doorstep (April 29), some months ago there were various proposals for a bifurcated causeway over the Forth. This would seem to avoid the disadvantages of a bridge or tunnel.

It would be cheaper to build and maintain, and would still allow shipping upstream to Grangemouth.

A causeway would be safer for freight and less susceptible to high winds, fire, corrosion, serious accident or terrorist threat.

It could have more lanes for bicycles, cars, lorries and trains, could alleviate coastal flooding and, taking in Mr Cruikshank’s point, could more easily incorporate river and tidal power generation facilities. Since then, there has been total silence.

As far as I have seen, not one Fife, Lothian or Edinburgh MSP or relevant authority has seen fit to inform us why a bridge is deemed the only practical solution.

Maybe the water depth or rock substrata west of Rosyth would prohibit a causeway but their silence is discourteous and lacks common sense, implying that our lords and masters pay mere lip service to cost-effective public expenditure, to long-term environmental policies and to respecting us, the voters, not only as adults but as their employers.

John Birkett.12 Horseleys Park,St Andrews.

Triumph of style over substance

Sir,-The American Presidential debates have their roots in the famed series of seven debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas for the US Senate.

In 1940 Wendell Willkie challenged Franklin Roosevelt to a Presidential debate but the canny FDR refused.

Finally, in 1960, Richard Nixon, looking like the dodgiest of secondhand car salesmen, unwisely took on Pretty Boy JFK.

As with most “great ideas” we transport across the Atlantic our tawdry version has retained all the smarmy evasions without the saving grace of American razzamatazz.

Nick Clegg, bereft of a single credible policy, has won the hearts of British viewers who remain in complete denial of the desperate times lying ahead.

(Dr) John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.

Democracy in short supply

Sir,-I grew up believing Great Britain had given the world modern democracy, spreading it to every corner of the globe thanks to our wonderful Commonwealth. In the last century we had to fight two world wars to defend our principle of one man, one vote.

So, where do we stand today? The majority of our laws are now passed in Brussels by bureaucrats we know nothing about, and our Labour Government is led by non-elected Lord Mandelson, not to mention being taken into an illegal war in Iraq.

Now we come down to grass roots where a non-elected company, Forth Energy, is making decisions about the placing of wind turbines against the wishes of the public. Where does our elected council come in on this? What happened to our great democracy?

George D. Gavine.The Veldt,Monikie.

Don’t expect any straight answers

Sir,-Graham Lang (April 29) proffers useful insights into what may be lurking in the shadows of wind turbines.

In the mirk we should expect the murky machinations of politicians, site owners and developers chasing the financial inducements offered by the Renewables Obligation Option.

What we should not expect is the truth about the amount of electricity being produced and the usefulness of this on a national scale.

Anyone interested in finding out the truth about the amount of electricity being produced by turbines need only consult the Neta website’s generation by fuel type table, which gives daily and indeed half-hourly summaries of power being produced by the 2800 UK wind turbines.

Ron Greer.Armoury House,Blair Atholl.

Deadly by-products of incinerators

Sir,-I am glad to see The Courier is keeping a wary eye on plans to build a biomass burner in Dundee (April 26, leader column).

Forth Energy has not said how many tonnes of biomass will be burnt each year but a 100MW biomass burner in Texas is expected to require more than a million tonnes of fuel each year.

There are many questions over the safety of even the most modern incinerators, which can breach emission limits for dioxins, furans and metals.

Breaches can go undetected for months because government guidelines only require inspections twice a year.

Forth Energy will no doubt claim that wood and other types of biomass are clean fuels that aren’t harmful to human health.

However, wood waste often contains hard-to-detect contaminants such as chromated copper arsenate (CCA), pesticides, preservatives, lead paint, black liquor, copper, creosote and chlorine, which can result in harmful emissions.

Visual sorting can miss at least 10% of wood contaminated with chromated copper arsenate.

Additionally, there is the problem of ultrafine particulates. Dr Jeremy Thomson of the British Society for Ecological Medicine has calculated that an incinerator burning 400,000 tonnes of materials each year will emit 8kg of particulates per hour, mostly 2.5 microns and smaller.

The filters in incinerators aren’t very good at capturing these and so they escape into the environment. From there they enter the lungs and have been linked pulmonary disorders. They may carry dioxins, metals and chemicals through the lung membranes into the body via the bloodstream.

Michael Gallagher.Green Alternatives to Incineration in Scotland,33 Precinct Street,Coupar Angus.