After reading John Blumenthal’s opinion column “I bought a Tesla to help the environment — now I’m embarrassed to drive it,” Jan. 8, Opinion about rethinking his decision to buy a Tesla after learning of Musk’s political views, I recalled driving through Nevada on a trip from Sacramento to Northeastern Oregon. The radio stations were full of news about Tesla building a gigafactory near Reno to produce battery packs for its cars.
Considerable negative attention was given to the huge amount of water necessary to run the facility. In Nevada, water use proposals are considered fighting words.
Tesla defended its environmental credentials by pointing out that the facility would run on a combination of solar, wind, and geothermal-produced energy.
As a fisheries scientist, I am always concerned about the environmental effects of water withdrawals, but what caught my ear was the fact that one of Nevada’s advantages in landing the plant was the state’s weaker environmental protection law relative to California, where Teslas were produced.
Although I am considering an electric or hybrid vehicle for my next car purchase, I will prefer companies that build or acquire their battery packs in an environmentally responsible way.
Janice is a full-time mom who likes to write on a range of topics in her spare time. She specializes in the Home, Garden, and Recycling topics. Janice is our Lifestyle and positive vibe expert. She keeps the office running.
