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Wednesday, February 02, 2011
U.S. Must Make Most of Energy Sources
By James Henderson
San Juan County Commissioner
Our leaders on both the state and national level need to recognize the value of energy diversity. We need to develop all of our energy resources, here in New Mexico and throughout the United States.
Coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, solar, biomass — let's make the most of all of them. The more energy we have, the cheaper it will be, and the more things we can do with it.
Secure, ready access to abundant energy is important at all times, but especially during an economic downturn like the one we've suffered through for the last couple of years.
It's hard to understand why anyone would want to stifle energy development even in the best of times, but to do so when so many of our fellow citizens are out of work and crying out for help is beyond comprehension.
Now is not the time for increased regulation and taxation of energy sources, whether overt or covert, e.g., under the guise of environmental directives.
We do not need to make arbitrary air-quality standards even more restrictive. We do not need moratoria on offshore oil drilling and obstructions in the permitting of coal mining.
Now is the time not only to remove the restrictions, but to do everything in our power to encourage full development of all our energy resources.
I suppose you could make a case for having a state or national energy policy, but if the end result is to promote scarcity rather than abundance, I think we can all agree that we're better off without one.
Maybe our new Congress can give some thought to this. Maybe members can review the policies that are currently in place and the ones that are currently being proposed and distinguish between the ones that promote energy development and the ones that stifle it. Having done that, they can then affirm the positive ones and denounce and repeal the others.
We need state and national leaders who favor energy diversity and are not prejudiced against domestic energy production. Is it too much to ask that our representatives in Santa Fe and Washington represent us and not some special interests?
With so many millions of our fellow citizens unemployed, and so many millions more struggling to make ends meet, how can anyone justify state and national energy policies that make matters worse?
New Mexico has abundant energy reserves, and so does America as a whole. Why are we not allowed to make the most of them?
James Henderson is also a member of the New Mexico Energy Forum.
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