Energy independence & cleaner air vs. more of the same

Late last Thursday night Senators Hatch & Bennett had an opportunity to join the vast majority of their colleagues from both sides of the aisle in support of the Clean Energy Act of 2007. Instead, they chose support for the oil and gas industry over the interests of both the nation and the environment. Utah’s two Republican Congressmen had already voted against the House version of this bill leaving Congressman Matheson as the only member of Utah’s delegation to stand for energy independence and cleaner air.

The Clean Energy Act of 2007 mandates significant improvements in corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards through 2020. In addition, it provides congressional support for efforts already underway at the state and local level to increase use of renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar. Republicans like Idaho’s Larry Craig acknowledged they were converts to the necessity of improving fuel efficiency stating plainly we cannot drill our way out of the crisis.

Unfortunately, Utah’s lawmakers seem convinced we can. Citing oil shale as one possible “solution” to an oil addiction that is not only a threat to our nation’s security but harmful to the environment as well, Congressman Chris Cannon is among the leading proponents of heating the earth up to 700 + degrees Fahrenheit and cooking oil out of rocks underlying the Colorado Plateau. This oil industry scheme requires a lot of energy in its own right just to pull it off and does nothing to reduce the emission of green house gases.

Utah stands to gain from local and state initiatives to increase the use of alternative energy sources. We are fortunate to sit atop lands with some of the nation’s prime geothermal resources, enjoy more than 230 days a year of average sunshine, and have significant wind potential as well. Instead of focusing on developing these promising clean technologies Congressman Cannon and other Republican members of Utah’s delegation seem stuck in the past.
Utah deserves leaders that believe America can do better. We can become world leaders in energy efficiency and clean energy technology. While petroleum will likely always be a part of our energy mix, it is sad so many of Utah’s conservative leadership lack the imagination to see beyond it to something other than more of the same.