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http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jul/12/ED-VILSACK12-ar-288142/ Published: July 12, 2010 Vilsack: Unlikely Partnership for Our Clean Energy Future
By TOM VILSACK
WASHINGTON When President Obama was sworn into office, he made a commitment
to moving America toward a new energy future and building a 21st-century clean
energy economy. The tragedy of Deepwater Horizon -- which continues to unfold
each day and will have a lasting impact over many years -- shows us the worst
possible result of America's dependence on oil. The tremendous economic and
environmental costs of the Gulf oil spill make more apparent than ever the need
to make the president's vision a reality. America can no longer rely on energy sources that are growing increasingly
difficult to find and utilize. We cannot accept an energy future that allows
oil producers, whether they are controlled by a foreign state or a corporate
board, to dictate how we will power our country. We must take back control of
our energy security and energy independence. The costs of maintaining the
status quo are too high. At the same time, a failure to embrace renewable energy represents a lost
economic opportunity for the nation, particularly for rural America. Our farms,
forests, fields, and oceans are a wellspring of clean energy resources just
waiting to be tapped. As we work to utilize alternative energy sources like
biofuels, woody biomass, and anaerobic digesters, farmers and ranchers can
benefit from new markets for bioenergy crops and agricultural byproducts --
including those produced on land that is marginal for production of traditional
crops. Biofuel facilities will provide permanent, good-paying jobs in small
towns and bolster rural economies. As we increase energy production from wind,
solar, and geothermal sources, demand for equipment such as wind turbines and
solar panels will spur the return of manufacturing jobs to America. By pursuing these innovative technologies, we can strengthen our rural
communities and create good jobs that can't be exported. Our reliance on oil also has national security implications. For the
military, over-dependence on oil equates to strategic and tactical
vulnerabilities. A large percentage of the global oil supply comes from
volatile areas of the world. We would never let the military procure weapons
systems from these places; that would represent a clear national security risk.
But, as some of our nation's top military thinkers have argued, by accepting
the status quo, we allow these same places a vote in whether our ships sail,
our aircraft fly, or our vehicles run. It is for these reasons that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) formed
a partnership with the Department of the Navy to invest in research and
development of renewable energy solutions -- especially advanced biofuels --
that meet the Navy's needs. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has set ambitious energy goals for his department,
mandating that by 2020, the Navy and Marine Corps meet 50 percent of all their
energy needs using alternative fuels, including biofuels. By working together
to apply USDA's technical and research capacity to the regular energy demands
of the Navy, we are creating demand and infrastructure for a sustainable
renewable energy market. And we are working as federal partners to realize the
president's vision of an American-built clean energy economy. If we are successful in our efforts, the Navy will be less dependent on
foreign supplies of fossil fuel and American agricultural producers will see an
increase in demand for their products and will have the satisfaction of knowing
that they are doing good for the nation while improving their bottom lines. USDA was been working toward President Obama's energy goals since his first
days in office. At the president's direction, we moved quickly to expedite Farm
Bill provisions to develop renewable energy, and focused our research efforts
on advanced biofuels processes and feedstocks. And we are working alongside
other federal partners to accelerate production and commercialization of a wide
range of clean energy sources with a focus on biofuels. But our collaboration with the Navy and other federal partners will not be
enough. Obama has called on Congress to pass comprehensive climate and energy
legislation to make clean energy the profitable kind of energy for America's
businesses. By passing a bill that works toward a new energy economy, we are
choosing to learn from the Deepwater Horizon tragedy. We are choosing to invest
in American science, American ingenuity, and American farmers to meet and
overcome the global economic, security, and energy challenges that confront us.
Justin
DeJong |
