I think it’s wonderful that we are using the hydroelectric power plant at Snoqualmie Falls, and I will be very upset if we discontinue its use. Of all the fossil fuels the United States uses to create electricity that harm the environment irrevocably, coal and diesel oil are the worst. They not only cost thousands and are not replaceable, but they kill tens of thousands each year from tuberculosis, black lung, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, etc., not to mention the harm and devastation to the environment.

Here we have in place, already built, a facility that will not harm the environment any more, does not hurt any human life and provides electricity for thousands of homes. It should also provide an income to the American Indians that would be so much better for the Valley than a casino.

I feel for the American Indians in our area who believe Snoqualmie Falls is a sacred monument from the past and should be revered. Yet, I do not know any American Indians in our area who live in homes that are not powered by electricity. I truly believe that what our ancestors did, raping and killing everything in their path to conquer America, is an embarrassment and shameful and something that we can never go back and truly fix. No amount of money could ever replace what our ancestors took from the American Indians.

But let’s be realistic here. Coal-powered electricity would desecrate Mount Si and the entire surrounding areas of the Snoqualmie Valley, ruining more than just one sacred site. It would also cause illness and death in horrible ways to people of all races. Unfortunately, we cannot go back in time to fix our faults, but we are all Americans now. We are all interracial and mixed in our blood, even in the American Indian lines. We are all mutt Americans.

And even I think Snoqualmie Falls is sacred and beautiful and mystifying and it should be cherished at all costs. Building another hotel over there worries me more what with the influx of even more terrorists (tourists) littering and hiking all over the place and, in general, desecrating the land.

But I also think we should be putting it to use, since the damage is already done. We have a wonderful power source there that is clean and healthy, and shouldn’t be wasted. And we can all enjoy the Falls as it is while the power plant continues to run, unbeknownst to most of us.

Deborah DuBois

North Bend