By Rep. Ron Kind and Dan Kohler
April 21, 2007
In organizing the first Earth Day, Wisconsin's
Gaylord Nelson sought to "restore a proper relationship between man and
his environment, between man and other living creatures."
In the past year, the fragility of this relationship has been magnified as
the issue of global warming was brought to the forefront of the nation's moral
consciousness. Although at times this winter and spring it seemed like we all
could have used a little "global warming" in Wisconsin, the
consequences of global climate change are very serious, and very real.
Two weeks ago, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
released its consensus report on the impacts of global warming. The report
warned of increasing droughts, floods, heat waves, water stress, forest fires
and coastal flooding in the United
States. If warming is left unchecked,
scientists predict that in the next 100 years pollution could cause the loss of
habitat for migratory birds and cold-water fish; increased drought in our
farmlands; and damage to spruce, hemlock and fir tree groves in our northern
forests.
The good news is that Wisconsin
is uniquely positioned to address global warming pollution and benefit by using
homegrown, renewable energy technologies -- such as agricultural biofuels,
wind, solar, geothermal and hydrogen. By investing in these technologies in Wisconsin, we can reduce
our dependence on foreign oil, reinvigorate our economy, create good jobs,
protect consumers and protect our environment.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, because of our rich resources, Wisconsin holds the
capacity to offset our current energy consumption with clean, renewable sources
like agricultural biomass and wind power.
When you couple this with Wisconsin's
legacy of innovation in manufacturing, renewable energy development provides a
tremendous opportunity to grow our economy and create thousands of quality
jobs. In fact, studies have shown that, watt for watt, renewable energy
development creates twice as many jobs as fossil fuels.
Investments in renewable energy also provide significant benefits for rural
communities and Wisconsin's
farmers and ranchers. Wind developers pay farmers and ranchers land-lease
payments equaling 2-3 percent of the gross revenue from wind installations,
equaling some $3,000-$6,000 per wind turbine per year.
One of the most effective and popular drivers of renewable energy
development in the United
States is the Renewable Electricity
Standard. In more than 20 states, these policies require utilities to generate
a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. By creating a
guaranteed market for renewable energy, these policies have jump-started new statewide
energy economies. Ten states have even strengthened their standards because of
their proven success.
Wisconsin
is no exception. Just last year, Gov. Jim Doyle signed legislation increasing
our RES to 10 percent by 2015.
The strength of RES policies in driving renewable energy development can be
seen in the fact that 90 percent of wind energy in the U.S. currently
comes from states with RES policies. But in order to fully tap our renewable
energy potential, we need a national renewable energy standard.
I am a proud co-sponsor, and WISPIRG is an ardent supporter, of the Safe
Climate Act, comprehensive climate change legislation introduced in Congress
that would establish a national RES of 20 percent renewable energy by 2020. By
adopting this policy, Congress can help build a cleaner and more secure economy
for America, while reducing
global warming pollution and making the U.S. the world's clean energy
leader.
In the spirit of Earth Day founder and Wisconsin native son Gaylord Nelson,
the time has come for Wisconsin
to put its technological know-how and natural advantages to work to create a
new energy future, and to be a leader in the fight to stop global climate
change.
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, represents Wisconsin's 3rd District. Dan Kohler is the
state director of WISPIRG, a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest
organization.
