Earth Equity News

The Way to a New Energy Future. Commentary by Ken Salazar, Denver Post, July 19, 2009. "The 24 Solar Energy Study Areas that Interior is evaluating for environmentally appropriate solar energy development could generate nearly 100,000 megawatts of solar electricity, enough to power more than 29 million American homes. The West's vast solar energy potential -- along with wind, geothermal, and other renewables -- can power our economy with affordable energy, create thousands of new jobs, and reduce the carbon emissions that are warming our planet. As President Obama has said, we can remain the world's largest importer of oil or we can become the world's largest exporter of clean energy. The choice is clear, and the economic opportunities too great to miss. Will we rise to the challenge?... I am changing how the federal government does business on the 20% of the nation's land mass and 1.75 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf that we oversee. We are now managing these lands not just for balanced oil, natural gas, and coal development, but also -- for the first time ever -- to allow environmentally responsible renewable energy projects that can help power President Obama's vision for our clean energy future. American business is responding to these new opportunities. Companies are investing in wind farms off the Atlantic seacoast, solar facilities in the Southwest, and geothermal energy projects throughout the West. We need comprehensive legislation that will create new jobs, promote investment in a new generation of energy technology, break our dependence on foreign oil, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Let us rise to the energy challenges of our time." Ken Salazar is the U.S. the Secretary of the Interior.