State’s political climate endangers forward-thinking energy policies
From a commentary on Left Business Brain by Tom Breuer:
Prehistoric life forms may have been contributors to our current fossil fuel-based economy, but prehistoric thinking has no place in our modern deliberations about energy policy. That’s why a blog post published last week by RENEW Wisconsin Executive Director Michael Vickerman is so alarming.
In the piece, which appears on RENEW Wisconsin’s blog, Vickerman delineates some of the backward-thinking moves our state leaders have made with regard to renewable energy since the first of this year. They include suspending a rule that established uniform standards for permitting wind energy systems and cutting the budget of Focus on Energy, which supports investments in renewables. In addition, says Vickerman, Focus on Energy has stopped accepting applications for business program incentives that promote the installation of renewable energy systems.
Unfortunately, any time we set the clock back on renewable energy development and investment, we increase the chance that we’ll be sinfully unprepared when the fossil fuel finally hits the fan. Indeed, any energy policy worth its salt must take into account a stark Malthusian reality: A rapidly expanding world population is consuming more and more energy, gobbling up – in a matter of decades – fossil fuels that took millions of years to collect in the earth’s crust. It’s like going to Vegas and blowing your inheritance on a lost weekend, then expecting another inheritance to be deposited in your checking account on Monday. Unfortunately, no more cash is coming, and there’s nothing left to do but scan the classified ads, hoping to snag an interview for a job as Carrot Top’s gofer and personal massage therapist.
