Our Energy Crisis: America's Town Meetings Act While Washington Fiddles
America's Town Meetings set the stage, sending forth the clarion call of America's liberties. They represented the nation's purest and most proactive level of our participatory democracy. The Town Meeting, together with the wisdom of our Founding Fathers created the foundations of American governance.
What has become of that democracy? It has been reduced to powerful and moneyed special interests pursuing their priorities with a compliant government more responsive to their influence and "K Street" lobbyists than the public need or the public good. The growing lack of confidence in those who represent the American electorate in Congress is teetering toward single digits. As for our oil-addled executive branch, waiting for true leadership to reduce our addiction to oil and thereby meaningfully curbing its demand (and thereby reducing oil company profits) will sadly be a fruitless watch.
It is therefore a particularly hopeful omen that Americans at the town level are taking back their government, acting where our federal government and its agencies fail to act and especially so on an issue of vital importance to the nation and its future. That issue being to initiate the needed steps that will bring about a meaningful alteration in energy consumption to 'clean' energy from the fossil based fuels that are the root cause of global warming, and all the dangers it entails.
While Washington fiddles, towns across Connecticut are staring to act. Spurred on, first and foremost by the realization that something must be done in their own interest and that of the nation. That if they don't act by deed and example, nothing of significance on this core issue will come to pass. With an encouraging State government, and with the help of national non profit organizations such as SmartPower, a town like Sharon Connecticut is aiming to source 20% of its municipal power needs from alternative means (wind, sun and water) by 2010.
Sharon's First Selectman , Malcolm Brown was quoted by the local "Lakeville Journal", saying with typical New England restraint, "I think it's a very appropriate time to get everyone up to speed on this". He further advised that along with working sessions together with representatives of SmartPower, studying strategies on how to derive 20% of the town's municipal power from alternative sources by 2010, he had also been attending seminars on alternative energy.
Mr. and Mrs. Congressman, are you listening? And 20% clean energy by 2010? If we had the wisdom, the will, and most importantly the leadership to achieve just a 10% clean energy goal on a national scale by 2010, what an extraordinary achievement that would be!
What Malcolm Brown and towns like Sharon are doing may well change the energy landscape of the nation well before Washington takes the matter beyond lip service. "Connecticut has been the test kitchen for clean energy commitment", according to Keri Enright, program director for Smart Power. "Connecticut is a leader in the renewable energy field. It is something to be proud of".
Sharon, and the towns of Connecticut are showing the way. If people are going to take back their government, the Town and Selectman's meetings is the right place for our political renewal to begin. Towns and cities throughout the nation will take heart from their example, and perhaps, just perhaps we will all be able to win back our government again, a government committed to serving all the people rather than the "K Street" lobbyists.
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Americans have discovered they can decide things for themselves and also solve problems that need to be solved. Big oil may run the White House but it doesn't have to run America. Same goes for coal. Americans were and are innovative and look for their own answers. It is democracy in action. The White House and the other branches of government in Washington is what happens when the people are shut out. Given the facts, Americans will find the solutions. They are the deciders
Suggesting nuclear power is a solution reflects a common illusion. While it is well known that nuclear plants are potential targets for terrorists and have serious unsolved waste problems; it is little recognized that increasing temperatures, due to Global Warming, already have caused the closing of some nuclear power plants and reduction of power at others. Water they rely on to cool reactors during the summer is either drying up, or too warm to use. As a result, in the U.S., as well as Germany, France and Spain, utilities have been forced to shut down several nuclear plants and reduce power at others.
I think it is a particular stroke of good fortune that individual communities are able to practically consider alternative energy sources for their cities. Wind, solar and other choices are actually viable compared to big billion dollar industrial carbon-slurping factories. It did not have to turn out this way. It could have happened that you needed some huge infrastructure and square miles of land to generate the needed electricity. But this is not the case. Who'd have guessed that the Creator set it up that small groups could provide for their own energy needs. Sometimes you get lucky.
The answer is simple.
According to the renewable resource data center, every day the earth receives more solar energy than the entire earth's 6 billion inhabitants would consume in 27 years.
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What we need is space race research fervor.
But you are not going to any alternative answers with oil men in power. Solar would decentralize power away from the oil and automotive industry.
Conservation is only possible thru coercion i.e penalties.
I disagree, we recycle any material we can and we chose what to buy based in large part on whether the item and particularily its packaging can be recycled. We strive to avoid using our car when we can and always plan necessary trips to accomplish the most errands and the shortest route. None of these things are mandated or enforced by penalties, except the penalties that we will impose on future generations in the form of global warming and shortages.
Is there anyone who really doubts that a 10% cut in the use of energy can be accomplished by a simple matter of volition? Americans are pigs; irrational, extravagant, overconsuming pigs. Look around you. Think a little leadership might make a tenet of conservative life-style actually popular (not to mention patriotic)??
Yes, eliminate packeging on all produce.
This is not a problem because there is a simple solution. Build 400 nuclear plants on shuttered military bases throughout the US and you can COMPLETELY replace all CO2 producing electrical generating plants and have more than enough power for this century. If France can get 80 % of its electricity from nuclear energy, why can't the US!!! Plus, if the price of nuclear material gets too high note that nuclear "waste" retains 95% of its energy producing potential which means that waste can be processed into new fuel if the price is competitive (something Israel is currently developing). There is your solution.
You call that simple. You belong in the Bush Adminstration.
Seawolf I don't agree with your statement. I believe what kingcityguru is talking about is that we have current technologies that could help us right now. If we did not use oil to generate electricity how much relief would that give us as a country? I have no numbers but I think it would be substantial.
Also I like using the old bases.
While this would reduce or eliminate our dependence on imported energy (particularly if we went to electric cars in a big way), we'd still be left with vast quantities of supremely hazardous waste. There are technologies on the horizon that might overcome some of this, such as the "Energy Amplifier" that can consume actinide waste. Even then, the waste is dangerous for centuries (versus longer than all our species' history for the waste from conventional reactors).
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I have to agree with Moonglum (a few comments down) that solar is the best solution. It's actually nuclear power too (fusion though). It's free energy for anyone that can build the technology to capture it and no worries about the waste products.
Mr. Learsy,
Sharon, Connecticut is not alone. A small town in upstate NY is also fighting plans for a new municipal coal plant. The town formed, like other communities, a concerned citizens group in 2003. Small and not well funded, they enlisted the help of organizations like the NRDC and Sierra Club. They were further aided by assistance from state officials including former AG and now Gov. Elliot Spitzer.
Since 2003, a majority of the town's elected officials have opted not to seek another term, the municipal utility's management has been replaced, and the mayor is in political turmoil.
Ultimately, the power plant is being redesigned for carbon sequestration, but in all likelihood, will not be required as energy conservation and efficiency efforts coupled with alternative energy sources will meet the city's energy requirements.
City hall and big energy can be beat, but it takes effort and an informed electorate.
Sadly, Connecticut is also the lair of our patrician Bush family
as well as the nesting site of so many Corporate Americans on Wall street. Oil is the base for these folks and anything else, including nuclear power, will be negated and blocked.
It is encouraging to see these towns take control of their own utilities. Though I doubt any relief of significance will ever happen.
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Posted September 5, 2007 | 12:35 AM (EST)