Racine, WI
By Lauren Joy, Wisconsin
Environment
I
am writing in response to a recent weblog post, "Dirty power – Pleasant
Prairie power plant reportedly among nation’s 20 worst for mercury
emissions," that highlighted one of the many problems with our current
energy production in the United States.
As
more of us become aware of the dangers of mercury and other air pollution,
there is a general agreement that something must be done to reduce our reliance
on coal. Some groups tout nuclear power as a solution, and yet nuclear has been
tried and found wanting for economic, environmental and public safety reasons.
And still virtually every year, Americans consume more and more energy. One
easy way to greatly reduce our reliance on dirty coal and dangerous nuclear is
to invest in cleaner energy sources.
We
have both the technology and resources to produce more of our energy from
clean, renewable sources. Eastern Wisconsin in
particular has enormous potential for wind power. We should be tapping this
wind power and investing in more solar, geothermal, and biomass energy
production. This will help us help us meet air quality standards, become more
energy independent, bolster the economy, and save consumers money.
A
great way to increase our use of clean, renewable energy is with a federal
renewable electricity standard. Congress will be addressing energy legislation
any day now, and the Udall-Platts HR 969 Renewable Portfolio Standard would
ensure that we get 20 percent of our electricity from clean, renewable sources
by the year 2020.
Wisconsin is already on
the right track. We have renewable electricity standard requiring 10 percent of
our state’s electricity to come from clean, renewable sources by the year 2015.
The policy has been an effective, efficient, and popular driver of expanded
renewable energy development in Wisconsin
and in other states with similar or greater standards. A federal 20 percent by
2020 renewable electricity standard would bring a number of benefits to Wisconsin including
cleaner air, economic development, and consumer savings on electricity bills.
This bill will reduce our dependency on coal-fired power plants that release
particulate matter into our air. On top of reducing mercury pollution, the
Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that a 20 percent by 2020 standard
would reduce our national carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 223 million
metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking over 36 million cars off the
road.
This
standard is also expected to lower electricity bills for Wisconsin
consumers by an estimated $90 million by 2020. Diversifying our energy
portfolio will make us as consumers less susceptible to spikes in natural gas
prices and bring us the benefits of more energy competition.
Congressman
Paul Ryan has the opportunity to do something about dirty air while at the same
time creating more jobs for Wisconsin,
bringing capital investment to the state, and saving the consumer money during
the energy debate in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Udall-Platts
Renewable Portfolio Standard is a win-win piece of legislation for Wisconsin and
Congressman Ryan should support this bill.
Lauren Joy
is a field organizer for Wisconsin Environment, a statewide non-profit,
non-partisan environmental advocacy organization.
