Renewable energy has its costs—much like fossil fuels have theirs. However, the environmental impact of renewable energy is no where close to that of fossil fuels. If America is to become energy independent, if America is going to exploit available renewable energy sources, if we, as Americans are going to conserve our environment, we must as a whole unite in support of renewable, reliable, and clean energy.  We’re not asking for government subsidies. Quite the opposite. We are asking for an “all of the above energy policy.” That is, we’re asking the government “not to limit our options.” Our request to the government is simple:

Please support the development of all clean and affordable sources of energy, allowing markets and consumers to pick the best options.

Really, that’s not complicated at all. If you have not yet signed our petition, make sure to do so.

Okay, to the New York Times article:

For years, technological visionaries have painted a seductive vision of using ocean tides and waves to produce power. They foresee large installations off the coast and in tidal estuaries that could provide as much as 10 percent of the nation’s electricity.

Other hurdles abound, including sticky environmental and aesthetic questions. In Oregon, crabbers worry that [wave farms] would interfere with their prime crabbing grounds.

“It’s right where every year we deploy 115,000 to 120,000 crab pots off the coast for an eight-month period to harvest crab,” said Nick Furman, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission. The commission wants to support renewable energy, but “we’re kind of struggling with that,” Mr. Furman said

In Washington State, where a utility is studying the possibility of installing tidal power at the Admiralty Inlet entrance to Puget Sound, scuba divers are worried, even as they recognize the need for clean power.

Said Mike Racine, president of the Washington Scuba Alliance: “We don’t want to be dodging turbine blades, right?”

Americans, energy independence is not free. Some must sacrifice a little here and a little there. Perhaps crabbers will have to harvest crabs elsewhere. Perhaps scuba divers must dive elsewhere. The fact of the matter is that the benefit out ways the cost.

Let your voice be heard: sign our petition or tell your friends.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 25th, 2008 at 5:56 am and is filed under Energy, Radical Environmental Groups, Wave. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.