Need for stronger legislation
Not only should the threat of catastrophic climate change rule out the expansion of coal, it should also compel the U.S. House and Senate to pass strong legislation that places a gradually rising fee on carbon emissions, refunded fully to the public, to spur the expansion of clean energy [“Global warming should rule out the expansion of coal,” Opinion, Jan. 2].

We've seen how dysfunctional Congress can be. For the sake of the present — not just the future — let's make sure Congress is functional enough to pass this needed legislation.

—D.R. Tucker, Brockton, Mass.