There was more than one loser in debate

With Wednesday’s first presidential debate in the books, we have one winner: Mitt Romney. However, we have more than one loser. As bad as President Obama handled himself, Jim Lehrer of PBS should never again be allowed to moderate a major debate.

Just like the NFL replacement referees, Mr. Lehrer could not make the calls or handle the players. For more than 30 years, I have always respected and admired Mr. Lehrer’s talents. However, at 78 years old, it’s about time he passed the moderator’s hat to a younger, more able person.

As cruel as this may sound, no one wants an ineffectual referee. It seems to me the presidential debates are more important than a simple football or baseball game. We need the best people, at the top of their careers.

cary de grosa

Las Vegas

Domination

To the editor:

What did I get from Wednesday’s first presidential debate? When they first showed the president, his eyes looked heavy, and I wondered if he was going to be all there. Next, I felt that he was inept in trying to defend his record and explain how the next four years would be any different from the previous four.

And what was Mitt Romney’s greatest success? It was when President Obama challenged him to give specifics. Mr. Romney responded that he was laying out policy positions, and the details would be determined by Congress and both parties. The point was that he was not going to be a dictator and govern by issuing executive orders. Mr. Romney dominated the first debate, and he looked presidential.

Burton J. Simpson

Las Vegas

Good investment

To the editor:

Tuesday’s letter from Tom Keller was both incorrect and misinformed on the cost of electricity from the Crescent Dunes Solar Project. Mr. Keller states the plant would add $90 million a year to power bills, however, this estimate is substantially more than the total annual cost of electricity from the Crescent Dunes facility.

To be accurate, cost comparisons for generated electricity should account for the total cost of generation, including fuel and capital costs, not just the cost of fuel. Electricity projects are 30-year investments, so lifetime costs should be considered, not just the “year one” price.

While natural gas costs are low today, it remains among the most volatile fuel sources with price increases of 50 percent in a year not uncommon. The cost of natural gas has increased 15.7 percent in just the past three months, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. A natural gas price escalation of just a few percentage points per year would put the costs of gas-powered electricity above solar, because solar projects have no fuel costs.

Of significant importance are the 250,000 tons of pollutants per year that a typical natural gas project of comparable size will emit while consuming more than double the water consumed by the Crescent Dunes project. With more than 85 percent of the electricity projects built over the past 20 years based on natural gas, NV Energy’s decision to diversify its portfolio with clean, renewable solar energy is a sound decision that advances Nevada’s future energy supply.

Kevin B. Smith

Santa Monica, Calif.

The writer is chief executive officer of SolarReserve.