Keeping The Torch Lit For Alternative Energy

Wasn’t it only last year that Americans were outraged over 4$ a gallon gasoline and ready to revolt en masse in support of any kind of alternative energy or fuel which would bring back energy prices that were at least affordable if not cheap or green? Everyone wanted a voice in the choices that were being made regarding our energy future and grassroots campaigns led by T. Boone Pickens and Al Gore each had several million active members working together for a green energy economy.

Once gas prices came down most people quietly returned to their normal day to day routine forgetting their momentary burst of activist passion. The underlying problems haven’t gone away though. Climate Change, Peak Oil, Methane Hydrate melting and releasing methane into the atmosphere and an aging electric grid are still with us and the need to move America into a green energy economy is just as pressing as it was a few short months ago. The only difference is that it isn’t an issue that affects our lives TODAY in obvious ways and that is all that really seems to matter to most people.

There are several pieces of legislation currently working their way through congress which can put us on the road to a green energy economy and which won’t affect the day to day lives of average Americans in any significant way. The two most important of these are the Natural Gas Act of 2009 and The Renewable Energy Standard.

The Natural Gas Act provides incentives for the implementation of natural gas fueled trucks to move our freight. Natural gas is 90% cleaner as a fuel and emits 25% less CO2 than diesel fuel. It is a great, green alternative and one that could significantly reduce smog in urban areas.

The Renewable Energy Standard encourages the investment in and growth of renewable energy as part of our national energy portfolio. It requires a percentage of our energy to come from renewable sources and allows for the building and upgrading of our national grid in order to deliver this renewable energy to customers.

I want to ask you to support these two areas of legislation. Both would create new jobs, start us on the road to a green energy economy and improve our day to day lives without sacrificing anything. They will allow private enterprise to develop products to meet our needs and compete for our business. This is how the free market is supposed to work and we will all benefit as a result both as consumers and as citizens.