Energy

The June 20, 2011 issue of Time magazine reported that more than 30 years ago President Jimmy Carter pledged that the US would derive 20% of its energy needs from solar power by the end of the century. That pledge lasted as long as oil was scarce and prices were high, then it evaporated when OPEC lifted its embargo and began resupplying the US with oil from the Middle East. Currently, only 11% of our energy is generated by green/renewable sources; wind 2.4%, hydro 7% and solar 1.6% (other countries are also use geothermal and biomass). We need green/renewable energy to get away from our dependence on oil. Of the 85 million barrels of oil produced around the world every day, 21 million are burned here in the US. This means that our 4.43% of the world’s population is using 25% of the world’s oil. And, I do wonder if all the drilling in the earth is causing so many earthquakes.

The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer identifies the greenhouse gases and other gases that are the basis for the UN action plan for fighting climate change. The UN’s Kyoto Protocol which was initially adopted in 1997 identifies the level of emissions to be reduced by 2012 (original date was 2005). As of September 2011, 191 countries have signed and ratified the protocol. The only remaining signatory not to have ratified the protocol is the US. As there is no good data prior to 1990, the Kyoto Protocol uses the 1990 emission levels as the basis for asking countries to reduce their collective greenhouse gases; the emission limits do not include those caused by international aviation and shipping. On November 4^th, it was reported that global output of heat trapping carbon-dioxide jumped to record levels. Per Wikipedia 37 countries have been asked to reduce their emissions by 5.2% while the US has been asked to reduce its emissions by 7%. This implies that the US is polluting the air more than other countries. I agree with the UN and believe that our smog rules should be consistent with our population, vehicle exhaust, manufacturing and other businesses (such as cattle) that send pollutants into the atmosphere. While some countries have committed to reductions above and beyond that which has been requested, the US has done very little. In an effort to join the UN’s fight for climate change and recession, President Obama’s goal is that 80% of our energy comes from clean sources by 2035. Unfortunately the program that awards grants for renewable energy is to be terminated by the end of 2012 unless an extension is approved. Our failure to comply with the UN protocol is due to fossil-fuel industries lobbying Congress to block legislation that would impose federal standards for renewable energy and thus diminish their special status. The oil industry receives $5.5 billion in tax breaks each year and discounted royalty payments as a result of $200 million in lobbying and political contributions. With the support of the news media, the Republicans want you to believe that the energy investments weren’t worth the risk. I beg to differ.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of wind in the US and in the past 4 years, it has become the leading source of new electrical power in the US, exceeding coal and nuclear combined. Hydropower is not expected to move because it requires construction of hugely expensive mega-dams with questionable environmental impacts. The world’s biggest producer of wind power, Spain’s Iberdrola Renovables, was given $1 billion in US grants. Today, some 150 miles north of Phoenix, Arizona sits the state’s first commercial-scale wind farm. The company has also brought 1,043 megawatts of new wind capacity to Washington, Oregon and Texas – enough to power nearly 700,000 households. Iberdrola’s next big installation is the Blue Creek Wind Farm in western Ohio which is supposed to come on line soon. It will produce enough electricity to power some 200,000 households. Iberdrola intends to continue working in the US at least until the end of 2012 by which time it’s expected to have invested $6 billion. One year of the annual tax breaks given to the oil industry would have paid for about 1 million households to use clean energy.

We know that there are deadly coal mine accidents. Think about Japan’s recent nuclear power plant disasters and the California gas line explosions. Replacing deadly sources with safe alternatives is what we should be doing. Instead of Republicans supporting the continued use of fuels that are destroying our planet, I say they should be convincing oil conglomerates to invest in clean energy if they want to continue with their riches. It’s time that they quit trading off of the American people for their friends and supporters.