To the Editor:

There are political threats. Look at Europe facing winter cold without assured heating fuel because of Putin shutting off natural gas supplies as punishment for Europe’s support of Ukraine.

There are climate disaster threats. Look at Hurricane Ian’s destruction of the grid in Florida last week.

We in the North Country are especially at risk. We are at the end of long and precarious supply lines for energy. Too much of the world’s sources of gasoline and heating oil are controlled by authoritarian governments in Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela, and Iran that are ever ready to use their control over supply as a weapon against us — reducing supplies and raising prices as they see fit.

We voters in NY-21 need a leader who will help us build secure supplies of our own energy.

The federal government recently enacted legislation that is a start. Over the next 10 years, it is estimated that the average family in NY21 will be able to obtain over $10,000 in credits and rebates to produce our own energy from residential solar and to use that energy to power our electric vehicles, heating systems and appliances. The annual savings per household will be huge, and our payments to foreign dictators diminished greatly. To see the potential value of these programs to you, go to: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator

Yet, our current Representative in Congress voted against the legislation. Why?

This election is not a time for partisan political bickering about our energy needs.

Elise Stefanik is not the leader we need. She has not shown the interest nor commitment to work in a bipartisan way to secure our energy independence.

Vote for a professional with extensive training and experience in international risk assessment. He knows the threats to our energy supplies. He has also shown his ability to work with both parties. Vote for Matthew Castelli.

Bob Penski
Colton