Support for Clean Energy

In November of 2014, my hometown county in California, which contains less than 58,000 people, passed a measure to prohibit fracking, the environmentally destructive act of extracting natural gas and oil that lies deep underground. For a sleepy little town this is a hugely progressive move. A few outspoken citizens had formed a group called San Benito Rising, together they collected over 4,000 signatures in order to get the measure on the ballot. Almost immediately after the measure passed a company called Citadel Exploration filed a lawsuit against the county. They claimed that local CA governments do not have the authority to ban fracking. They also claimed a 1.2 Billion dollar loss. For a town that had been limiting development for years, a $1.2 billion fine was terrifying thought for the citizens. But less terrifying than the destruction fracking could bring to the small city that thrives on its agricultural foundation.

The proven destruction to the environment caused by fracking and clear disadvantage of small local governments to fight it makes me think it is the U.S. governments job to prohibit hydraulic fracturing. (If you are not aware of the damage that fracking can do then read this.) Right now some of the public thinks that because the price of gas is low there is not an immediate issue. I’m not alone in fearing that this is turning into one of those long term investments that are so hard to get the ball rolling on until it’s too late. I think action towards a solution lies within the grasp of the U.S. government's role in safe guarding our nation from threat. 

But if we ban fracking on U.S. soil we would just be more dependent on foreign gasoline. And that is not a solution. Instead the government should be making strides towards supporting green energy sources, including research and education. Although some would argue that subsidies don’t help consumers and that it’s up to the private sector to invest in new technology. I would argue that green energy dramatically supports the nation and instead of outsourcing this to other countries the U.S. would benefit in being a leader. 

With the help of the government we could be creating more jobs involved in wind power and solar energy. Currently my husband is looking into solar panels for our house and interested in American made panels versus panels made in China. Not only are American made harder to find (closest company is in Georgetown) they are much more expensive. If Americans purchase outsourced solar panels then it's a missed opportunity, not to mention defeating the purpose of being green since they are being transported across the globe.

It should go without saying that investing in clean energy research and development would reduce our dependence on foreign oil. In 2012, the United States relied on 40% of our consumed petroleum from foreign imports. According to this site between one quarter and one half of wars since 1973 have been linked to oil. With money saved from avoided conflicts this long term investment wouldn't even take that long, and the nation would benefit on so many levels by investing in the future of green energy.