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Clean Energy in the News
Recent Blogs
| Cut Out Dependence on Foreign Oil |
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“The nation that leads the world in creating new sources of clean energy will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy.” While we make up less than 5 percent of the world’s population, the United States eats up about a quarter of the world’s demand for oil. This energy trade deficit makes us dependent on foreign countries – many who are not our friends – for the energy that powers our cars, our businesses and our homes. In June 2009, the United States imported 354 million barrels of oil, sending $24.7 billion overseas. As T. Boone Pickens points out, “for more than 40 years, every President has promised to ‘make the US energy independent,’ but over that same period, we went from importing 24 percent of our oil to importing over 65 percent.” The United States is running behind countries such as China and Germany that have made advances in harnessing renewable energy and manufacturing the technology needed for these clean energy plants. Even more disappointing is the fact that many of the technologies they employ were developed right here in the United States. For example, America produces less than 3 percent of our electricity through renewable energy such as wind and solar power. In comparison, Denmark produces almost 20 percent of its electricity through wind power. Certainly in Nevada, where we are blessed with both sunlight and wind, we can do better. Addressing climate change positions the United States in the global economy of the future and it also strengthens our economy here at home. |