Time for New Energy Policy
by Sarah Eckel
Energy policy
is never simple, and in the US it reflects the profit-driven interests of Big
Oil and Gas. If we are to refocus our energy development to renewable energy
then we must change the policy, because policy drives investments. Energy policy rewards fossil fuels It’s
no secret that we are overly dependent upon foreign fossil fuels. Interest in
developing domestic sources of fuel has shaped the direction of the US energy
policy. Following passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005,
tax breaks, subsidies and exemptions for oil and gas companies reached new heights,
giving these companies increased exemptions
from federal environmental regulations like Superfund, the Clean Water Act,
and the Safe Drinking Water Act. The Energy Policy Act of 2005’s subsidies and
tax breaks were directed to reducing carbon emissions, however the choice for
that policy was to direct the majority of public subsidies to nuclear power
and “clean-coal” technology with a token nod to renewable energy. In addition,
efforts to end oil and gas subsidies in 2007 were eventually stripped out of
the final energy
bill. How energy is developed in the US remains guided by a reliance on
fossil fuels because we continue to reward
those technologies. The Obama Administration has made significant
investments in renewable energy, smart grid technology, and energy efficiency,
especially compared to the previous Administration. Unfortunately, Obama’s Administration
is still giving the lion’s share of benefits to conventional energy
production. In 2009, New
York State revisited its Energy Plan. It took
a good step in the right direction, valuing the benefits of renewable energy
and energy efficiency. Unfortunately, it also continued to place too much value
on the use of fossil fuels, including natural gas. However the primary shortcoming with New York’s
Energy Plan is not its continued dependence on fossil fuels, but that it is
not enforceable and is only a guidance document for state agencies. Hope for the future Moving our state
and country away from fossil fuels will take much more than guidance documents
and token investments in renewable energy. Currently in the US House and Senate
is a bill that would reverse the Safe Drinking Water Act exemptions currently
given to the gas companies, called the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness
of Chemicals Act (FRAC Act). It is important to start
removing the exemptions given to oil and gas companies and hold them accountable.
Here in New York a laundry list of bills exists that
only deal with hydraulic fracturing. In the end, however, we must move away
from fossil fuels. Pushing for a strong investment in a sustainable
energy future will require citizens demanding that government
reward and
invest in renewable
energy
technology. We must increase the call to our elected officials that energy policies
focus on energy technology that does not pollute.