Oregonian editorial links oil spill, coal tragedies to cost of fossil energy
Posted on 30. Apr, 2010 by crowley in Blog, General, Renewable Energy News
The lead editorial in today’s Oregonian, “Oil, Water & wind” connects the dots on some of the costs of fossil fuels and calls for increased focus on renewable energy.
The editorial notes:
It is fitting that the $2billion Cape Wind project, which would include 130 windmills built about five miles off Cape Cod, would take a big step forward just as crews raced to respond to one of the worst offshore oil drilling accidents in American history.
For while oil is today’s main offshore energy resource, the wind ought to be tomorrow’s.
The editorial points to the fact that offshore wind development is unlikely in Oregon’s deep coastal waters, which makes the embrace of Cape Wind seem a touch less convincing.
You’re still not going to see offshore wind turbines coming to the Oregon coast anytime soon. The ocean off the Oregon shore quickly deepens to more than 1,000 feet, too deep for anything but floating wind turbines anchored to the sea floor.
But the editors are no doubt correct to connect the dots:
But unless we miss our guess, history will show that this was a significant week in the evolution of the nation’s energy systems. At the very time it struggled to contain the oil cascading from a shattered offshore well, the federal government recognized the enormous power of mixing water and wind.
The urgency of developing all high quality wind resources is indeed compelling, not just in light of the offshore oil spill. In the last month, more than 30 people have died in coal mining tragedies in the US alone. Coal is still the largest source of electric generation in the country. Of course, the impacts to health from burning coal extend far beyond the victims of tragic mining accidents.
Hopefully, these awful accidents will help galvanize opinion that decisions about these critical projects need to take much more than NIMBYism into account as we wrestle with slowing global climate change and rebuilding our economy based on green jobs.
Connect with Us
