Letters: Unleaded 88 fuel comes with a hidden, heavy price

We are paying the price for corn

In writing about purported environmental benefits of adding corn-based ethanol to gasoline, reporter Patrick Cooley correctly mentions the need for life-cycle analysis. (Oct. 25, "Unleaded 88 fuel is often cheaper, but should drivers use it?")

More:Unleaded 88 fuel is spreading in Ohio, but is it good for your car and the climate?

But any discussion of environmental impacts of corn-based ethanol must account for facts he omits. Producing corn ethanol involves large-scale use of petroleum products, with their associated climate impacts.

Land-use changes prompted by federal laws incentivizing corn production have environmental impacts.

Corn production with poor farming practices has resulted in mass loss of topsoil and farm chemical pollutants washed down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, which has a large dead zone. Widespread use of chemical herbicides and pesticides has caused wildlife and water quality harm, including the loss of crucial pollinator species, along with risks to human health.

More:Ohio farmers work to keep algae-causing nutrients out of water

Members of Congress and other officials have incentivized corn production because it's politically popular in rural areas and with powerful Big Ag interests.

The price we've paid includes the rise in obesity and diabetes: Corn-derived sugar is a common ingredient in processed foods.

America needs and deserves energy, food and agricultural policy driven by the best available science.

David Scott, Past President, Sierra Club

Our mandate to love our neighbor

We want to express our gratitude to the 12 members of the Ohio State Board of Education who voted to refer the resolution entitled “Resolution to Support Parents, Schools, and Districts in Rejecting Harmful, Coercive, and Burdensome Gender Identity Policies” to the executive committee.

We especially want to thank board member, Tim Miller (District 10), who made the motion of referral.

More:Ohio Board of Education resolution says person's sex 'unchangeable fact'

We are heartened by the compassion and courage displayed by Miller, particularly since his District 10 seat is on the 2022 ballot. He and 11 other board members recognized that this resolution would have a lasting and negative impact on students, educators, and school district funding.

More:Faith leaders: Ohio board of Ed member should study Bible, abandon anti-Christian attack

We think it is important to highlight that while the resolution author, Brendan Shea (District 5), specifically mentions his Christian faith in his bio (and religious language appears in the resolution), and Miller does not, it was the latter who displayed a better understanding of our Christian tradition’s commandment to love our neighbors.

We believe Ohio is a better place as a multi-faith and multi-ethnic democracy and our mandate to love our neighbor requires that we consider the wants and needs of everyone.

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It is our sincere hope that even as we learned the executive committee will meet on October 31, the members of the committee will choose to focus on doing what is right for all Ohio students, not seek to score easy political points, andcertainly not use their faith as a litmus test for what is right for all Ohioans.

Rev. Jon Osmundson, Hilliard United Methodist Church, Hilliard and Pastor Hank Osmundson, Unitarian Universalist Justice Ohio & St. John’s United Church of Christ, Columbus

Mirroring Connie Schultz

I was so happy to read Connie Schultz's Oct. 22 column "SpongeBob helped me find love for Guardians."

My love for the Guardians mirrored hers. My husband is a baseball fan, so I have become one, too, for our Ohio teams. The Guardians gave us a thrilling season and I look forward to next year!

Carol Meidell, Westerville

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: What is the environmental cost of Unleaded 88 fuel