Originally published November 27 2005
Western states prepare to shift away from oil economy to renewable energy
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Western Governors Association's Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee has developed a provisional plan for the transition from a fossil-based fuel economy to one based on renewable resources.
After suffering rolling blackouts in California, corporate corruption in Texas and a $1 million-per-day loss on natural gas revenues in Wyoming, Western states are coming to terms with a vulnerable energy network.
The Western Governors Association's Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee recently rolled out a first-draft roadmap charting what could be the West's gradual transition from a fossil-fuel based economy to an efficiency-conscious renewable energy economy.
For Wyoming, the recommendations call for advancing clean coal technologies toward liquid fuel, synthetic natural gas and cleaner electrical generation to serve as the foundation on which to stack major wind-generated megawatts to export to Western neighbors.
Scott Kane of Creative Energies in Lander served on the Solar Task Force.
He said he's pleased with the recommendations so far because they push for policy changes to help the West deal with an inevitable shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
"We need to start now and try to implement these changes, because if we simply let it be the economic forces and typical business and individual decision-making process, it's going to move very slowly, and we're going to end up in a pinch at some point," Kane said.
"That's going to be function of political feasibility determined by what their constituents will support."
One general recommendation is to encourage states to pass "renewable portfolio standards," which require utilities to offer a certain percentage of electricity derived from renewable resources such as wind and solar power.
"Given our energy revenues, Wyoming might consider providing tax incentives to homeowners, or the state could set up a grant program to provide homeowners to an incentive to improve the energy efficiency of their homes," said Michelle Barlow of Laramie.
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