A Roadmap Out of Gridlock
Interesting poll results crossed my desk the other day that suggests there's a way out of the gridlock affecting our political process on energy and climate change. That is, if politicians are willing to listen. The Language of the Clean Energy Economy was released by pollster Frank Luntz, which suggests that a majority of the public wants climate action, even if "man-made" causes aren't accepted.
Luntz released the data with Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp and David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy, Inc., Crane will be appearing at the EnergyBiz Leadership Forum in a few weeks. The poll shows that the public wants Congress to act on climate legislation to promote energy independence and a healthier environment.
A few highlights from the national poll of 1007 registered voters are worth noting. It has the usual and expected divergence of opinion of climate change origins; Democrats generally believe in it and hold human activity responsible; Republicans, on the whole, believe that much less strongly. An interesting point is that the "science is settled' argument doesn't carry much weight, and might even be charged language that riles a significant part of the public. It's a conclusion accepted by 35 percent of the public which shows that about two-thirds doesn't.
But there's plenty of room for agreement on both sides if the arguments is shifted to more neutral ground. In effect, if Democrats generally are motivated by environmental concerns or promoting human health and Republicans can say it's to promote national security and energy independence, and both can agree that there's a strong component of economic development, who cares who wins?
My own sense is who cares who's right about the science if broad support across a spectrum of beliefs achieves the ultimate ends for a variety of reasons? Life is rarely lived as an either/or proposition, so why do political leaders and advocates of one viewpoint or another insist that the rest of us do? The poll concludes, as I do, that if the scientists are right, we get the benefits of attacking a problem that would have catastrophic consequences. If they're wrong, we give ourselves the chance to get the political and economic benefits of economic development and energy independence.
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Comments
Climate Change Argument - Irrelevant
Re: Climate Change - Irrelevant, "Just Follow the Money" - A Business Case For the NEW Economy
The partisan argument of climate change by both Republicans as well as Democrats is meaningless. To date, it is being used as a "red herring" by both parties in vain attempts at political posturing looking only toward the 2010 mid term elections. We have more important national agenda issues. Focused Governmental policy should be on JOBS & the ECONOMY!
The challenges that we face as a nation are all about economics. Although carbon (GHG) reduction, recycling & warming of polar ice cap crusades are all very noble, the reality is that we need to become energy independent, put our middle class back to "meaningful work", protect our borders, enhance national security & add to the US Gross Domestic Production (GDP). How do we do this?
Follow the money! The Enviornmental movement has been a social movement based on virtue & committment. It needs to take on a whole new dimension & be brought to market with an absolute business perspective. Cleaner enviornmental impact is just an ancillary by-product benefit to the bigger macroeonomic target, PROFITS. Development of our workforce needs to be based on realistic ECONOMIC DRIVERS. The money the US exports daily to purchase foreign petroleum products & the huge associated military costs (in both human & financial capital) while buying from people that despise us is absolutely insane! That business model does not work.
We have both the capacity & voluminous domestic resources to become ENERGY INDEPENDENT by utiizing Natural Gas, Compressed Nat Gas & Liquified Nat Gas as a greater fuel source for OUR transportation & the ever increasing demand for electric power generation. Keep more US dollars from going overseas and from not being recirculated within OUR domestic monetary supply. This is in no way advocating exclusionary protectionist foreign econ policy. It just makes good common & economic sense.
Retrofitting existing buildings & facilities w/ Energy Efficient and Renewable Energy (EERE) enhancements will reduce their Operating & component replacement Costs as well as yielding a much better Return On Investment (ROI) for taxpayers, operators & investors alike. This method can reduce energy consumption & costs somewhere into the 30+% range while adding to economic service life as well as increasing capitalized asset values!
Biomass, geothermal, Wind & Solar etc. are not yet cost effective (unless subsidized) & some methods are intermittent, but nonetheless useful strategies that we need to employ as just a part of an overall portfolio for a domestic energy arsenal. We can utilize ALL these home-grown "bridge fuels" while we buy time to develop & bring more efficient products & more advanced renewable energy initiatives to market. These steppingstones will stimulate a New Economy, produce jobs, consumer confidence & cash flows as well as bring huge reductions to benefit our enviornmental impact.
Free enterprise will be stimulated & encouraged to invest much more private capital into energy enterprises in this New Economy by implementation of much needed Government Policy that focuses on realistic economic drivers. Those stimuli need to come from the economic incentives for Investors to take on risk for anticipated return (ROI). Redirection of governmental policy & incentive taxation of profits from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) market space must be given priority treatment & consideration. Time is certainly costing US money; We can do this NOW!
by: James McPartlan
www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmcpartlan
pdg.development@comcast.net
815-814-6265