She loves me, she loves me not: America still fickle on renewable energy
Although more than one of President Bush’s State of the Union addresses has involved energy independence and shifting towards renewable power, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Boulder, CO has seen its funding cut to less than it was seven years ago when Bush took office. They don’t even have a cafeteria.
For decades, presidents have talked about “energy independence” but with little movement in that direction. Renewable energy powers about 6 percent of America’s electricity now, and most of that comes from obsolete hydropower dams.
In this, the 110th Congress, money for renewable energy is going to compete with government tax policies that allow for companies to deduct purchases of SUVs and tax breaks for second homes. Fuel efficiency standards haven’t moved in decades, and there are no federal building codes to encourage commonsense efficiency.
Why are we so slow to move towards a clean energy economy? Why is Denmark getting 22 percent of its electricity from wind power and we are getting less than 1 percent? Benjamin Kroposki, a scientist with NREL, explained that the fast and “cheap” energy that fossil fuels provide are the easiest to turn to, and we have a lot of them. He told the New York Times, "You have fossil fuels competing with renewable fuels. Renewables lose every time."
Amy Jaffe, an energy expert with the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, agreed:
"We are going dirtier. If you need to come up with a fuel source other than drilling for oil under the ground in the Middle East, what is the most obvious thing with today's economy, today's infrastructure and today's technology? Oil shale, liquefied coal and tar sands. It's all dirty, but it's fast."
It’s time to hold a commitment ceremony with renewable energy, America! No more of this two-timing with Mr. clean-cut, reliable and dependable Renewable Energy and Mr. dirty, fast-and-easy Fossil Fuels. You know which one is healthier for you, will be there through thick and thin, and which one will never leave you.
