Now, however, as stated in Conservatives for Clean Energy’s platform: “Saving energy and taxpayer resources aligns perfectly with the goals of fiscal conservatism. Conservatives can and should lead on energy efficiency, as it matches our core values.” Now that the cost of solar panels is dropping, solar energy can now compete head-to-head more successfully with more traditional energy sources.
At the center of powering Ohio’s economic future and job creation will be the continued deployment of renewable energy technologies. Among the uncertainty of today, there is a ray of good news: the Ohio Power Siting Board – the state agency in charge of utility energy projects – has approved yet another significant solar project for Brown and Clermont Counties.
It is encouraging to see conservatives leading discussions on these proposed plans, but we must act now to help revitalize and modernize America’s aging infrastructure and energy grids. Together, these proposed stimulus plans can help businesses turn the lights back on and get the country back to work for a brighter economic and energy future.
As we all react to this new normal and question how we could have prepared better, it’s past time to consider that much like the warnings of epidemiologists about a potential pandemic that went unheeded, energy experts have been raising red flags about the vulnerability of our nation’s electricity system for years.
To effectively meet this challenge and prepare for future crises, we must invest in a more adaptable grid solution, one that emphasizes a diversified energy portfolio of baseload and renewable sources and is structured around a more flexible workforce.
Conservative Energy Network Continues to Expand National Team The Conservative Energy Network (CEN), a coalition of 21 state-based conservative clean energy and energy efficiency organizations, today announced two new hires: Tom McLaughlin, director of communications and digital strategy, and Joanna Lewis, Midwest communications manager. While
“As a Network, we’ve rapidly expanded over the past few years, along with the need for market-driven state-level clean energy policy,” said Mark Pischea, CEO and president of CEN. “We provide conservative clean energy thought leadership across the country, but most importantly we serve as a resource for our state teams as they work alongside policymakers and stakeholders in their state capitols. Landon Stevens has the conservative political and energy policy credentials necessary to help our state teams’ efforts to advance conservative energy solutions across the nation.”
As we collectively adjust to a new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to also celebrate good news in Iowa. As a member of the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum, I’d like to congratulate all the stakeholders that met over the past year to find a compromise on solar energy policy that works for all Iowans. Senate File 583 was recently signed into law by Governor Reynolds after passing unanimously in both the state House and Senate. This important legislation provides consistency, reliability and the opportunity for solar energy to continue to grow in Iowa.
A series of “energy freedom” bills, which would allow customers to diversify energy generation and usage is before the Michigan Legislature. For this week’s “Issues of the Environment,” WEMU’s David Fair talks with Ed Rivet, executive director of the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum, about a new strategy to move the measures forward.
A new Texas energy source is figuratively (and literally) just over the horizon.
We are all too familiar with the hot Texas sun that can easily fry an egg on the sidewalk and sends us running into air conditioning. But that heat is energy, and with it comes the ability to generate the same electricity needed to drive those air conditioners we rely on to stay sane. And Texas sure has a lot of heat.
After construction of two additional reactor units at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station ended in 2017 with billions of dollars of debt, 5,000 people out of work and no new reactors, lawmakers jumped to investigate what had happened. Now, fewer than three years later, South Carolina is being seen by some as a model for how bipartisan clean energy legislation can be accomplished in a conservative state.
