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Extension of Westinghouse Nuclear Power Plant’s license not worth risk to community

Not worth risk

The 50-plus-year-old Westinghouse Nuclear Plant in Columbia is to be relicensed for 40 more years according to the Governors Nuclear Advisory Council.

Their unanimous agreement reminds me of the Public Service Commission’s unanimous agreement to approve the nuclear fiasco that killed SCE&G and raised rates.

Customer confidence is related to whether this old plant will survive another 40 years.

Why is the public assuming the risk for this project?

When it fails, the public will once again be left holding the bag, but this time, it won’t just be the financial risk, it will be the health risk of citizens exposed to environmental devastation.

Cassandra Fralix, Lexington

Let students wear hats

Students should be allowed to wear hats at school.

Schools make us wear IDs so they know who we are and that we are present in school. We also now wear masks, which cover our faces worse than a hat.

The rule about not wearing hats indoors goes back to the medieval times when there was concern about helmets being worn indoors by knights.

A hat is different. It does not protect you. It is a style and we should be allowed to express what we like.

Blake Morrison, Cayce

Teach real world skills

Schools need to add classes that teach students about things they will have to do as adults in the real world such as how to do taxes, drive, change a tire, or how to manage a bank account.

Many high school students leave school without this basic knowledge.

Schools spend an extraordinary amount of time teaching complex math that we most likely will never use, but fail to teach us basic things such as these that we need to succeed.

By integrating these courses into our schools , young people will be better off in society.

Skylar Russell, West Columbia

Clean energy leader

South Carolinians should be proud of the fact that the Palmetto State was the first state in the nation this year to proclaim Sept. 20-24 as .“Clean Energy Week.” I am writing to thank Governor Henry McMaster for once again signing the official proclamation, just as he did last year along with dozens of other governors.

National Clean Energy Week, now in its fifth year, brings together government officials, industry associations, businesses, non-profits, and other advocates to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s clean energy sector and discuss its future in events in Washington, D.C., and across America.

Gov. McMaster explained how the clean energy sector has been critical in driving economic growth in our state in recent years. For example, South Carolina’s solar industry has created more than 3,000 jobs since 2014 after a law was passed allowing families to lease rooftop solar and provided solar consumers the right to get paid for the extra energy their solar panels produced.

I know I speak for many in applauding Gov. McMaster’s leadership in spurring energy innovation and developing affordable, clean energy sources in South Carolina.

Matt Orr, Columbia