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Smart Solutions for Our Energy Future
December 25, 2008
The dust has settled from the fall election, and this month we turn our eyes to Washington, D.C., as Barack Obama takes office as the 44th president of the United States. The economic crisis will remain a major focus for elected officials and the Obama Administration also promises an increased focus on energy policy. As all of us paying electric bills every month can attest to, the two go hand-in-hand. It is crucial that any energy policy discussed in Washington comes with a price tag that won’t leave members in the dark.
Through the nationwide grassroots awareness campaign called Our Energy, Our Future™, cooperative consumers have contacted their elected officials with three critical energy policy questions focused on capacity, technology and affordability. With a new president and a new Congress taking office, electric cooperatives will need to continue pressing for answers.
These answers won’t be clear-cut. Day to day, South Plains Electric Cooperative works hard to provide you with safe, affordable and reliable electricity. When you come home at night, you can count on a well-lit home, and should outages occur, we’re on the job to restore power quickly.
Although electricity use across the United States is steadily climbing, relatively high costs for construction materials and uncertainty about climate change goals, which could place strict limits on carbon dioxide emitted by power plants, have stalled development of new baseload generation: the large, efficient stations that provide dependable and affordable electric power year-round.
So here’s the important question: how can we keep power flowing and electric bills affordable? There’s simply no single answer and electric cooperatives know from experience that it will take a variety of new generation resources and technologies to ensure reliable and affordable electricity in the coming years. We must invest in renewable energy, clean coal technology, nuclear power, an updated transmission grid and improvements in energy efficiency across the board.
Of course, implementing all of this on a large scale will require a massive investment of government resources and leadership—similar to putting a man on the moon. As consumer advocates and industry leaders, electric cooperatives can provide lawmakers with expertise on what programs are affordable, sustainable and technologically feasible.
All of this must be grounded in goals and public policy that puts consumers first. This is no time for policy makers to ignore our needs with a wink and a nod to special interest groups. Now, more than ever, Main Street must come before Wall Street.
You can help in this effort and make a real impact by telling members of congress your story—why affordable electricity is important to you and your family. Tens of thousands of electric cooperative members have done so already and as a result, we’ve sent more than 1.5 million messages to Congress, calling attention to our nation’s impending electricity crisis.