Hmm ... New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is writing editorials for the Manchester Union-Leader? Whatever interest could the governor have in New Hampshire?
The piece itself verges on parody, it is such a generic recitation of Democratic talking points on energy. "Foreign oil," check. "Apollo-like project," check. "Can't drill our way out of the problem," check. "Big oil companies with record profits," check.
Of course, I think it's all to the good that this has so quickly become conventional wisdom. It's all true. But Richardson has always struck me as a bit smarmy and unimaginative. This piece of writing, which may as well have come from the Democratic Central Computer's Energy Phrase Generator, only reinforces that impression.
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ronwagn Posted 11:53 am
27 Mar 2006
I believe the first and quickest step is to heat our nation with biofuels such as corn , pellets,and other biomass such as olive pits, almond shells, peach and cherry pits etc. Switchgrass can be grown on millions of acres of marginal land and wastelands.
Ethanol plants should be mandated to use biofuels, as should government buildings, schools etc. We need a total switchover of furnaces. This will take time, but buildings can be heated at about one third the price of natural gas.
Changing over to biomass heating will create jobs for stove , furnace and boiler makers, and technicians. Growing and transporting biomass will also fuel our economy.
Many technologies will blend together to bring energy independence. Solar, wind, architecture, etc. will all play a role. The best technologies will win. As big oil has competition it will moderate its prices. Oil will become cheap again, and maybe we won't need it anyway.
Ron Wagner
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Icelander Posted 10:06 pm
27 Mar 2006
There's a reason the major population centers weren't founded IN THE MIDDLE OF FREAKING DESERTS!
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amazingdrx Posted 2:45 am
28 Mar 2006
Does mess-o-potamia count? Actually, many times desertification follows quickly upon civilization.
Cutting down all the trees, grazing off all vegetation, and wasting all the available water tends to do that.
I wrote the mayor of Albequeque about solar cogeneration waste water recycling, thinking that a progressive region like this might actually listen. The flunky that wrote back said no problem, they recycle their water through their citizenry and city then dump it back in the river. No environmental damage. Hehehey.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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amazingdrx Posted 2:52 am
28 Mar 2006
To the bushco inc faith filled, global climate change is a myth. Right?
Burn baby, burn!
Many of us call the "marginal land and wastelands" the part of spaceship earth that is still relatively undestroyed. Climate scientists call it a carbon sink.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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atreyger Posted 4:44 am
28 Mar 2006
AND Earth is not a spaceship.
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nedfarquhar Posted 4:54 am
04 Apr 2006
First, no other elected official has implemented so many clean energy actions in the past three years. Richardson's record is excellent, from solar tax credits to renewable portfolio standards to joining the Chicago Climate Exchange (mandatory GHG reductions or we pay) to growth in wind power and energy efficiency to the pending clean energy program by the 18 states in the Western Governors' Association. The list goes on and on.
It's not a "smarmy" list. But NM isn't a "smarmy" state -- we are an oil and gas state and still the Governor is pushing hard for clean energy policies. If people want to live in the desert, we are going to keep doing better at energy, water and land management. And that's what Richardson has done, energetically in a short period of time. (He also had a strong efficiency/renewables record at the Energy Department, although the price of oil was anywhere from 70-85% lower than it is now. He worked hard on energy and climate change before price and trade deficit and national security were top-tier issues.)
I hope to open discussion with David Roberts, try to make sure he realizes it's hard to make progress on energy issues nationally and especially in red, western, oil-based states. Energy advocates need to support each other in the interest of radically changing the Nation's energy policy. And in truth, Richardson's approach is bolder and bigger-impact than the approach of Washington politicians who somehow achieve Roberts's approval.
If he speaks "conventional wisdom," Richardson is playing a big role (Western Governors', Democratic Governors, etc.) in making it so. That doesn't mean the people who read his op-ed are all environmentally oriented clean energy proponents from Seattle (we need 'em, I know 'em, God bless 'em), and it does mean we better figure out how to communicate in ways other Americans agree with and understand. The White House, the Congress, and the federal government surely don't see new energy policy as "conventional wisdom." Roberts is seeing things from a limited perspective, and forgetting how big a deal it will be turn this whole energy economy in a new and better direction.
Feel free to contact me if you want to talk more.
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