Sarah Palin Lied to Alaskans About Renewable Energy

Sarah Palin was either lying or abysmally ignorant when she said that renewable energy would not be ready for years: Non-profit, 100% renewable energy (New England GreenStart) has been available in my state since 2004. That's two years before Palin became Goverrnor of Alaska on Dec 4, 2006, and my state was not the first.

Sarah Palin is not merely one more Republican politician pandering to Big Oil; Palin is willing to lie to the people of Alaska to promote Big Oil:

According to MoveOn.Org: "She's solidly in line with John McCain's 'Big Oil first' energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species —she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska." (Big Oil, however, possesses a pre-existing Alaskan land-lease that is four times the size of --and adjacent to-- the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where the polar bears live.)

"McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-2881118-JSt0tox&t=5

"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-2881118-JSt0tox&t=6

"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-2881118-JSt0tox&t=7

Nevermind the fact that 100% of my own electricity has come from 100% renewable sources for the past 2 years: As of 2007, long before Palin declared her Big Oil-promoting position on energy, twenty-eight states had renewable energy programs:

"Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia require power companies to produce at least some of their electricity from renewable sources such as sunlight, wind or animal waste:

"Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin.

"Three other states have voluntary goals: Illinois, Missouri,Virginia." --USA Today

Twenty-eight states as of 2007, how could Sarah Palin have missed this movement within our country?

Since the above article was written, West Virginia is now "going green," rather than allowing mountain-top-removal coal-mining to poison rivers and lakes and to blanket homes in coal-dust. With West Virginia on-board, that makes 29 states and DC.

That's more than half of the U.S., using some form of renewable energy. Just think what will happen when The Obama Administration gives renewable energy the enthusiastic support that it needs on a national level. (Sarah Palin would rather lie to you.)

For more details on our nationwide Green Energy Movement, I leave you with an excellent report from Worldwatch Institute, based in none other than Washington, DC. (Sarah Palin, you may want to read this before you visit our nation's capital, which has a renewable energy program of its own.)

Worldwatch Institute

2007: A Banner Year for Renewables in the U.S.

by Janet L. Sawin , a senior researcher and director of the Energy and Climate Change Program at the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental research organization.

March 13, 2008

Last year was a banner year for renewable energy in the United States, especially for the wind industry. As the recent REN21 Renewables 2007 Global Status Report highlights, the industry broke all past global records, installing 5,244 megawatts (MW) of new wind energy capacity in 2007, or 30 percent of all new U.S. capacity added. This brings the cumulative national total close to 17,000 MW—enough to power more than 4.5 million U.S. homes.

The United States continues to lead the world in production and use of ethanol as well, with most of this coming from corn. The industry had about 6.9 billion gallons (more than 26 billion liters) of annual production capacity in 2007—a 60 percent increase over 2005—and most gasoline in the United States is now blended with ethanol.

In addition, the nation is helping to lead a resurgence of concentrating solar power, with two new parabolic trough plants completed during the past two years, for a total of 65 MW of new capacity. And more than 2,000 MW of additional capacity are now planned or under construction.

In the United States, and increasingly around the world, investing in renewables is no longer just about doing the right thing and being green. It’s also about making green, and investment trends reflect that thinking. The United States invested more than $10 billion in new renewable capacity in 2007, coming in third behind Germany and China. Most of this went to new wind power installations.

There was also a huge surge in U.S. venture capital investment in renewables in 2007, greatly due to increased investment in solar energy. Other major recipients of venture capital money were wind power and biofuels—particularly work on next generation fuels, which are expected to be more sustainable than the current food-based biofuels. The United States ranks first in venture capital investment in renewables, accounting for more than 60 percent of the global total in 2006. And U.S. levels will only rise in coming years with new efforts like Google’s program to make renewables cheaper than coal.

Much of this investment is driven by government policy, as well as speculation that the United States will soon put a price on carbon.

At the federal level, support for renewable energy has been inconsistent. The most important policy, the Production Tax Credit (PTC), has helped drive development, particularly of wind power. But the PTC has expired and been extended numerous times since it first came into effect in 1994, creating cycles of boom and bust. It is set to expire again at the end of this year, but is likely to be extended before the year is out.

The federal Renewable Fuels Standard, the only national long-term policy for renewable energy, was just extended and expanded late last year, calling for production of 36 billion gallons (136 billion liters) of biofuels by 2022.

The states have really been the biggest drivers of renewables, with many now competing to be the new hubs for clean energy industries and green jobs. Twenty-five states plus Washington, D.C., now have Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS)—or mandated targets—for electricity generation; an additional four have voluntary policy goals. During the past two years, five states added RPS laws, and at least nine states strengthened existing targets.

Several states have adopted other policies to support renewables as well, with some now considering feed-in laws. Feed-in laws guarantee renewable energy generators—whether farmers who install wind turbines, homeowners who put photovoltaics (PV) on their rooftops, or large utilities that develop large-scale renewable energy projects—a guaranteed market with priority access to the electric grid and long-term fixed payments. They have been extremely successful in Germany and elsewhere, and are now used in nearly 40 countries around the world, including 18 EU countries. Over just the past six months, feed-laws have been introduced into the legislatures in several U.S. states, beginning with Michigan last September. In addition, many states are now part of regional carbon cap and trade programs that could also lead to significant increases in renewable energy use.

California, one of the top states for renewable electric capacity, captured 70 percent of the nation’s PV market in 2006. Thanks to a new Solar Initiative, the state is set to rival Germany, the world leader, in solar PV over the next several years. California aims to install 3,000 MW of new solar electric capacity by 2017, with a state budget of $3.3 billion.

And cities are getting in on the act as well. From San Francisco and Portland in the West Coast to New York City on the East Coast, and from Chicago in the North to Austin in the South, U.S. cities are competing to be green, adopting renewable energy targets and incentives. They are doing so because of a growing recognition that renewables can help them to meet a number of goals: new jobs, carbon emissions reductions, a more secure and stable energy supply, a cleaner environment, and better health for their citizens.

Overall, the United States has enormous potential for renewable energy, particularly in combination with energy efficiency improvements. Only a small share of these resources has been tapped to date. Renewables technologies are available today and can be scaled up rapidly to meet our rising energy demand and to get the country on track to make needed reductions in carbon emissions by mid-century. We can expect even stronger growth in renewables in the United States over the coming years, particularly if strong, consistent, and long-term policies are in place at all levels of government.

Janet L. Sawin is a senior researcher and director of the Energy and Climate Change Program at the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental research organization.