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Energy companies stifling renewable energy at the local level

Think Locally, Pollute Globally: Dirty Energy Sector Wages a State-by-State War on Solar and Wind Technology BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS, by Meg White 2 April 2010 President Obama frames his decision to allow increased offshore drilling, new nuclear power plants and the pursuit of “clean” coal technology as a type of a stopgap measure to fill American demands for cheap energy while renewable sources of energy are developed. But is this a case of sleeping with the enemy?The CEOs of big energy corporations, who rely on coal, gas and nuclear plants to create the bulk of their energy, nod alongside the administration. But on the local level, they appear willing to block these developing industries through a combination of lobbying and monopoly. Two recent stories illustrate how traditional energy companies are keeping wind and solar energy companies from gaining a local foothold…….

Exelon Energy is spending its time and money in Springfield, IL. The energy company is lobbying against a relatively obscure part of a clean energy bill that would require utilities to buy clean energy from local sources before venturing elsewhere. Progress Illinois reports that Exelon is trying to prevent local competition from springing up……

These energy companies are choosing their profit margins over American jobs and the country’s safety. By standing quietly in the way of their fellow citizens’ ingenuity, they’re showcasing the worst kind of short-sightedness possible.

Obama may be right about the need for a slow transition to alternative energy. But if by handing over new leases on life to dying industries we’re propping up the very people standing in the way of innovation and the building of a new green economy, we’re working against our own best efforts.

Think Locally, Pollute Globally: Dirty Energy Sector Wages a State-by-State War on Solar and Wind Technology | BuzzFlash.org

April 3, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, USA | antinuclear, energy efficiency, renewable energy, renewables, solar