We can’t wait for the federal government to get its act together! We need an Apollo program to fund known transportation and energy solutions and to research new energy technologies for the 21st century.
California has the 6th largest economy in the world. It’s a state that prides itself on its environmental policies, and also a state that is particularly sensitive to the price of gasoline. Right now, California’s economy is sagging, and it will sag even further as the price of energy increases.
Imagine the state of California pulling together cities, counties, universities, businesses, energy experts, environmentalists, and citizens to create an energy program that ends our dependence on foreign oil, makes energy a lower cost of doing business, and builds new industries to keep California’s economy healthy.
We can do it!
When the feds fell down on the job, the people of California stepped forward to fund stem cell research. Ending our dependence on foreign oil is more crucial to our survival. Californians need to step forward and show those red states that we can create a sustainable energy-independent future.
We’re big enough and rich enough and we already have a lot of people working on the problems that we need to solve. California is already doing a lot to foster conservation and future energy technologies, but the efforts are inadequate and piecemeal. We need a strong, coordinated approach to:
- Promote widespread adoption of known conservation strategies.
- Provide incentives to upgrade less efficient vehicles, appliances, and machinery with more efficient models.
- Provide support for the widespread use of current sustainable energy technologies.
- Subsidize and expand public transit systems so that they can serve more Californians at a more attractive price.
- Improve road conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists.
- Plan new development that encourages people to get around without automobiles.
- Work with businesses to encourage telecommuting.
- Fund research on new energy technology.
- Fund research on improvements to energy efficiency.
- Work to establish green industries here in California.
- Fund research on community and infrastructure designs that improve energy efficiency.
- Fund comprehensive research on creating sustainable transportation for all Californians.
- Fund research to create practical, efficient, sustainable new technology for factory machinery and freight transport.
California is in a unique position to work with California’s cities, counties, universities, and businesses to create a secure energy future here in California. We can make California the new energy capital of the world, exporting sustainable energy technology to other states and countries.
Many groups have done groundwork that California could consider in its energy program.
Environment California
Meteor Blade’s Energy Diary
Natural Resources Defense Counsel
Apollo Alliance
National Energy Policy Initiative
ACEEE’s Smart Energy Policies
The Energy Web