OP-ED
> Published on Monday, December 2, 2002 by the Los Angeles Times
>
> The Highest Patriotism Lies in Weaning U.S. From Fossil Fuels
>
> by Robert Redford
>
>
> The Bush White House talks tough on military matters in the Middle
> East while remaining virtually silent about the long-term problem
> posed by U.S. dependence on fossil fuels. Failing to rein in our
> dependence on imported oil gives leverage to undemocratic and unstable
> regimes.
>
> Wasteful consumption of fossil fuels creates political liabilities
> overseas, air pollution at home and global warming. The rate at which
> the United States burns fossil fuels has made our country a leading
> contributor to global warming.
>
> The Bush administration's energy policy to date -- a military garrison
> in the Middle East and drilling for more oil in the Arctic and other
> fragile habitats -- is costly, dangerous and self-defeating.
>
> Despite the absence of leadership on energy security in Washington,
> some local efforts are paying off. Last year, San Francisco voters
> overwhelmingly approved a $100-million bond initiative to pay for
> solar panels, wind power and energy efficiency for public buildings.
> The measure was supported not only by the environmental community but
> also by the Chamber of Commerce, labor unions and the American Lung
> Assn.
>
> San Francisco's first solar project, a $5.2-million energy- efficiency
> upgrade at the Moscone Convention Center, was dedicated last month.
> What's the straight economic benefit of this particular project?
> Plenty. The upgrades and the panels combined will cut energy
> consumption in the building by as much as 38%, and the project will
> pay for itself from energy savings. The net savings to taxpayers after
> debt service is subtracted are projected to be more than $200,000 a
> year.
>
> American rooftops can be the Persian Gulf of solar energy. After
> Australia, no developed nation on Earth gets more annual sunlight than
> the United States. In addition, wind is now the fastest-growing energy
> source worldwide and one of the cheapest. But wind and solar power
> generate less than 2% of U.S. power. We can do better.
>
> We can increase auto fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon.
> The technology to achieve that goal exists now. Phasing in that
> standard by 2012 would save 15 times more oil than Alaska's Arctic
> National Wildlife Refuge is likely to produce over 50 years. We could
> also give tax rebates for existing hybrid gas-electric vehicles that
> get as much as 60 mpg and invest in mass transit.
>
> These measures would keep energy dollars in the American economy,
> reduce air pollution and create jobs at home.
>
> The benefits of switching to a mostly pollution-free economy would be
> considerable, and the costs of failing to do so would be steep.
> Prolonging our dependence on fossil fuels would guarantee homeland
> insecurity. If you are worried about getting oil from an unstable
> Persian Gulf, consider the alternatives: Indonesia, Nigeria,
> Uzbekistan.
>
> If we want energy security, then we have to reduce our appetite for
> fossil fuels. There's no other way. Other issues may crowd the
> headlines, but this is our fundamental challenge.
>
> Big challenges require bold action and leadership. To get the United
> States off fossil fuels in this uneasy national climate of terrorism
> and conflict in the Persian Gulf, we must treat the issue with the
> urgency and persistence it deserves. The measure of our success will
> be the condition in which we leave the world for the next generation.
>
> Weaning our nation from fossil fuels should be understood as the most
> patriotic policy to which we can commit ourselves.
>
> Robert Redford, the actor and director, began his involvement with
> solar power issues in the mid-1970s and is a supporter of the San
> Francisco-based Vote Solar organization and its agenda.
>
> Copyright 2002 Los Angeles Times