The future is now - new legislation for 21st century energy solutions
Wind turbines. Courtesy NREL.
I don’t often turn to stand-up comics for insight on matters of national energy policy, but since all other attempts to stop the oil gushing in the Gulf of Mexico have failed, it probably wouldn’t hurt. I ran across a quote from Robin Williams the other day: “What is right is what’s left when you’ve done everything else wrong.” When it comes to developing the abundant wind and solar resources on America’s public lands, we need to take stock of how poorly we’ve done with other forms of energy.
For too long, energy development on public lands has been characterized by conflict. A decade of contentious decisions to lease large swaths of the West with little or no review have left pristine habitats and landscapes dotted with oil and gas wells, and all the roads, containment pools, and holding tanks that come with them. Impacts across the landscape that have reduced the populations of the once-numerous greater sage grouse by 90% or more, requiring them to be added to the endangered species list. States and the public have been cut out of many processes in the East, leading to blowouts and poisoned drinking water in Pennsylvania, and countless other impacts throughout the country.
We must learn from the nation’s mistakes managing oil and gas, and create a 21st century leasing system for 21st century technologies. Majority Leader Harry Reid’s recently-introduced Solar and Wind Leasing Act of 2010 is a responsible step toward achieving that goal. It complements the Interior Secretary’s leasing authority with strong provisions that safeguard both natural and fiscal resources. The bill also makes a bold commitment to reinvest a portion of solar and wind companies’ profits in important conservation programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program that protects some of America’s most important natural areas, including National Parks, historic sites and battlefields, state and local parks, working ranches and forests, wildlife refuges and national forests across the country.
The tragedy in the Gulf shows us what happens when we recklessly develop our natural resources. There is no question that we must transition away from oil and gas to a clean energy economy. The public lands have an important role to play in this transition by supporting wind and solar in the right places. It is essential we seize the opportunity to develop these public resources smart from the start, before we need to call in the comedians.
photo: Wind turbines. Courtesy NREL.
About Chase Huntley
Chase serves as Policy Advisor for clean energy issues at The Wilderness Society. He works with staff in the public policy and public lands departments to develop and evaluate policy options for sustainably managing energy production on the... More about Chase Huntley
Legacy Comments
FEDERAL REGULATIONS ARE NEEDED NOW!
I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE HELEN!!! Ever since I saw a uTube video of a raptor circling in the air only to be struck by the blade of a wind turbine and violently thrown to the ground to die I have been on a quest. In this RUSH to go GREEN and have clean energy I think everyone has blinders on!
I watched also on uTube, and interview of people who didn't ask for a wind farm as a neighbor but ended up living next to one. One man said the sound drives you crazy for starters. Then to top it off, they are made of fiberglass and they do catch on fire. They are allowed to burn which puts toxic smoke into the air as well as pieces of fiberglass which he showed that was on his front lawn. Many in his area (Wisconsin) were suffering with lung problems directly associated from the smoke.
They kill birds and don't discrimate. Many of our wonderful raptors like golden eagles, kestrals etc have been butchered by the blades and you can't trust the data on how many have been killed because they only count the carcasses they find. Many have been removed by coyote and other predators and they never get counted.
If we believe in protecting our lands and our wildlife then we have to seriously push RIGHT NOW for FEDERAL REGULATIONS REQUIRING DETAILED BIRD SURVEYS AND ENVIROMENTAL STUDIES. Tax incentives are causing developers to move forward recklessly and our wildlife and enviromentally sensitive lands are suffering for it not to mention the beauty that is forever spoiled!
RIGHT NOW we need to write to the Secretary of Interior demanding that the "WIND TURBINE GUIDLINES" submitted to him on March 4, 2010 not fall on death ears. The "WIND TURBINE GUIDLINES ADVISORY COMMITTEE" was established under the FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT, to avoide or minimize impacts to wildlife and their habitats related to land based wind energy facilities. PLEASE WRITE NOW!! You can find those guidlines on the internet. We can't afford for them just to be placed in a file cabinet! PLEASE WRITE NOW!!
Industrial Wind Farms
Industrial wind energy facilities are NOT green. Please see National Wind Watch at http://www.wind-watch.org/ and GET THE FACTS!
"Industrial-scale wind energy is widely promoted as a clean and sustainable source of energy. It brings, however, many adverse impacts of its own which are often ignored or even denied. Of most immediate concern for communities targeted for wind power facilities are their huge size, unavoidable noise, and strobe lights day and night, with the consequent loss of amenity and, in many cases, health.
People concerned with the environment are increasingly aware of the negative impacts of the giant machines and their additional supporting infrastructure on birds, bats, beneficial insects, and other wildlife — both directly and by degrading, fragmenting, and destroying habitat for their construction.
Considering these and other impacts, the construction of industrial wind energy facilities — along with their supporting infrastructure, including roads, transformers, and powerlines — cannot be justified in most of the places they are proposed. They do more harm than good.
How much good do they actually do? The claims of reducing pollution or greenhouse gases appear to be greatly exaggerated. Wind is a diffuse and fickle resource that does not follow demand. Despite decades of experience and substantial installations in Denmark, Germany, and Spain, the giant turbines have not been shown to reduce the use of other fuels on the electric grid — such as natural gas, coal, and nuclear — let alone gasoline for transport and oil for heating. For this reason, their ability to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming or pollutants that cause acid rain and health problems such as asthma is doubtful, despite their tremendous size and sprawl."