-Caveat Lector- Opinion: It's time to tap clean energy sources Petroleum is polluting our environment, robbing us of our independence By Dennis Weaver, Special to the News http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/article/0,1299,DRMN_38_761839,00.html The most urgent change we must make, as we move toward sustainability, is in the energy we use to support our economy, which now is fossil fuel. It is impossible to support an economy that depends on an energy to fuel it that is not sustainable. Oil cannot be manufactured, we can't grow it. It is not renewable. Scientists are estimating we have a 50-year supply left at the present rate of consumption, maybe less. Petroleum is the largest producer of environmental pollution. The cars and trucks we drive and the coal-fired power plants that generate our electricity produce greenhouse gases that are creating global warming, which many scientists believe to be the most serious threat to life on the planet. Besides endangering our personal health, fossil fuel pollution also increases the financial burden on us, the taxpayers. We are the ones who foot the bill to clean up the messes we make by our own thoughtless and destructive behavior. The price for fossil fuels has escalated sharply in recent months. California consumers particularly have felt the drain on their pocket books. Energy bills have more than doubled in many places, while numerous communities have suffered "rolling brown-outs," even though an endless supply of clean energy shines down on us daily. How long will we continue to ignore the sun's ability to furnish us our energy needs? The situation in California would be quite different if, 30 years ago, its leaders had seen the wisdom and necessity to shift to a clean, inexhaustible energy source to fuel its economy and had the political courage to do it. Will we learn from this adversity? A relatively small portion of the Mojave Desert, put aside for photovoltaics, could produce enough electricity to satisfy all of California's energy needs, and then some. It could sell to other areas that have energy shortages rather than having to spend more than $300 million a day buying from those who have an abundance. It is only prudent to tap into solar/hydrogen power now, rather than continuing to build more dirty coal-fired power plants and drill for oil anywhere we might possibly find it -- even if we destroy great portions of our most beautiful wildernesses in the process. Solar/hydrogen is capable of freeing us from our dependency on foreign oil. There is no reason to be held hostage because we rely on an energy source outside of our national borders. America must stop polluting itself by fueling vehicles with gasoline. Bush's new energy program doesn't deal adequately with the awful damage to our air and health that gasoline is doing. I urge President Bush to form a new special commission to plan the conversion to hydrogen. Hydrogen does not poison the air, and it is an everlasting supply. His special commission should consist of the most credible visionaries in business, the environmental movement, politics and the scientific community -- to design an energy policy that is truly sustainable and healthy. Nothing is more important for our children. The crisis in California can become a great opportunity. The political climate is perfect to begin to make the shift to a clean, renewable energy to provide our needs. But it won't happen unless people demand it. As Gandhi said, "When people lead, leaders will follow." The time is now. The situation in California is a wake-up call for all America. Let's answer it. Actor/environmentalist Dennis Weaver is a part-time resident of Ridgway, Colo. He is president of The Institute of Ecolonomics, which encourages businesses to profit while cleaning up the environment. He can be reached via e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] July 28, 2001 Steve Wingate, Webmaster ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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