US Energy Plan
US Government Lacking Energy on Alternative Energy
Alternative energy sources provide many benefits. Renewable energy development can create quality jobs and promote economic development, especially in rural areas.
While some renewable energy resources are not always available (that is, the wind does not always blow and the sun does not always shine), the technologies perform reliably when the "fuel" is available. In this regard, they can add to the reliability of the electricity grid, especially for businesses in which power outages are extremely costly.
Finally, selected applications of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies can enhance the disaster resiliency of communities and individual structures. For example, roof- or skid-mounted solar electric systems can provide needed power to hospitals, fire stations, police departments, gas stations, national guard armories, etc. in the sunny days that follow destructive storms.
US Government Lacking Energy on Alternative Energy:
The idea that there is incredible potential behind the green economy of the future is exciting and hopeful. But the question still remains, how much potential is there? Part of the answer depends on the choices President Obama, and Congress make in supporting, for example, alternative energy. Currently in the US, that's been lacking.
Bush had consistently failed to follow through on his promises to fund for alternative energy research. He was generous with the green rhetoric, just not with actual greenbacks.
It's been two years since Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" packed theaters and won an Oscar. And a good year it was then for the green movement. Venture capital firms poured a record $2.6 billion into clean tech startups in the first three quarters of 2007. Meanwhile, the green buzz has only grown louder, especially with today's economy. Last year, green building construction starts were projected to reach $12 billion. And while both Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama, (now President Obama) made a greener economy a key plank in their Presidential campaigns, they have done little to support or fund alternative energy development or alternative energy assistance to homeowners. As stated in a previous article, there is a bill in the Senate that would start assistance to homeoners for alternative energy systems, just like all their co-members of the last senate and congress, they have done nothing to pass this legislation bill let alone expand it's funding.
As for President Obama's promise to make alternative energy a priority and to create energy jobs by making renewables part of his stimulus package, he has allowed the Republicans in Congress to dilute and diminish those promises and replaced alternative energy advancement and developement with tax cuts and tax rebates. And Congressional Democrates are no better. President Obama has allowed Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrates to further diminish the advancement of alternative energy, energy jobs and infrastructure with useless money wasting "pork" projects. President Obama seems to be more concerned about pleasing the House Republicans and House and Senate Democrats more than the American tax payers who are paying for all this. By cowering to House Republicans and Democrats he's virtually assuring the US will run full steam ahead into a full blown depression! And when that happens, Nancy Pelosi, both Republican and Democrat Congressional members and Senate members will point to President Obama and yell: "It Was That One!" And the customary finger pointing game will begin.
Despite the undeniable green momentum, a $4 trillion-plus U.S. green economy is far from likely "even in 22 years" because there simply is no "aggressive, sustained" federal policy. The federal government has failed to create and adequately fund the programs that would make the U.S. a world leader. Our government instead would rather spend trillions of tax payer dollars to bailout corrupt and fradulent banking institutions and fiscally irresponsible and reckless home developers, who together with the real estate industry and mortage industry created our mortage crisis, and fiscally irresponsible and corrupt state Governors, and spend billions on useless "pork" projects.
State and Local Leadership:
"The need to reinvent, retrofit, and reboot the entire nation is the biggest economic opportunity in a generations. But it's an opportunity that's not being seized in Washington. "We have all this work that needs to be done, and we have all these people who need work. Moreover, many of the jobs considered "green" can't easily be outsourced: "You can't put a house that needs to be weatherized on a boat to China!"
"Every robust energy technology has existed because of government support and tax subsidies," says Joel Makower, editor of GreenBiz.com. "But there hasn't been the appetite [in Washington] to do that for clean energies."
Oil imports continue to rise, reaching a record-breaking 65% of consumption in May of last year. Gray, the chief White House counsel for the first President Bush, is convinced that the U.S. oil consumption is "directly supporting" Middle East terrorists. Lets face it, if terrorists want to successfully attack a country, what better way to do it than by destroying their economy, and keeping them busy and distracted in wars that benefit only terrorist countries. As for protecting ourselves from terrorist attacks, we don't need to. Terrorist know all they have to do is wait, and we will destroy ourselves.
Our government officials need to stop all the rhetoric speaches about becoming energy independent and start implementing action plans, and start funding alternative energy assistance to homeowners and small businesses. And President Obama needs to tell Congress and the Senate "I won!" and mean it and then do right by the American citizens and to hell with the "All talk - Do Nothing" Congress and Senate members.
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