It’s worth underscoring one particular point that Lance Reynolds made in his reporting on Massachusetts’ energy crisis (“Hostility’ toward natural gas,” Feb. 18): A lack of infrastructure has limited New England’s natural gas supply, which has resulted in stubbornly high electricity prices particularly during cold snaps for the last decade or so. We are facing increased heating demand during cold snaps like the ones our region has been experiencing for what feels like two straight months. This reality coupled with supply bottlenecks prevent New England residents from receiving the full benefits of natural gas experienced in other parts of the country.

To be sure, factors beyond the state’s control contribute to high fuel prices. However, without greater access to domestic natural gas, such as from the Marcellus shale formation, New England is forced to rely on imported liquefied natural gas from overseas sources, likely adding to price pressures. Focusing on building new infrastructure, particularly domestic pipelines, might go a long way in solving the region’s energy challenges — the result could help mitigate price volatility for Massachusetts businesses and consumers, and help our state’s overall economy. In his recent State of the State Address, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont did not close the door on increasing the supply of gas available to the region. Hopefully Massachusetts regulators and policy makers will come to the same conclusion and do the same.

Michael Giaimo

Andover

It is shocking but not surprising that Trump and his administration are not just trying to overturn climate regulations, but the facts and analyses underlying them.  Scientific method is the result of centuries spent expanding human understanding of the world and our place in it — and it hinges on subjecting our own assumptions to rigorous testing, on asking ourselves, over and over, “how could this idea be wrong?”

Ideas that have survived this level of scrutiny include foundational concepts like the laws of motion, thermodynamics, and gravity.  Science and its applications have allowed us to build airplanes that stay up, send humans to the moon, eliminate plagues, and feed the hungry.  The greenhouse effect — first described in the late 1800s  — has been settled science for well over a century.

Trump’s arrogance and ignorance may have conquered American politics, but no amount of presidential hubris can repeal reality.  The laws of chemistry and physics aren’t subject to executive orders.

Warren Senders

Medford