Renewables are key to our future
As New Mexico (and other oil-producing states) continue to rely upon extractive fuels to pay their bills, we will remain on that treadmill to oblivion as supply dwindles and price increases for consumers who ignore climate change. Experts have recognized energy scarcity as an issue for longer than a half a century, but the warnings have been ignored and avoided by the oil/gas industry and the political protectors they pay.
The willful decision to value Profit over Planet has led us into accelerating environmental degradation by a myopic industry that continues to avoid responsibility and deflect blame, even as flames afflict our entire planet. During the past few weeks huge advancing fires fire are still destroying homes and livelihoods—and causing the horrifying deaths of people and animals—from California to China to Europe, Southeast Asia, Central Africa, and Central America. Prayer may help. But our elected and appointed officials also need to heed those prayers. Mining coal and pumping oil has lowered the quality of life throughout the South. West Virginia is now one of the poorer, more depleted states of the USA. Indeed, West Virginia is a state that young folks leave for a more modern world of opportunity. That can happen to our Southwest states where and when there will be little left of the oil industry except rusting derricks, cracked pipelines, contaminated water supplies and despoiled landscapes.
Currently, the oil industry does nothing to help the quality of life and cost of living in the nine poorest states in the USA. New Mexico is the third poorest, behind Mississippi (THE poorest), and Louisiana, second poorest). No kudos either for the rest, Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, and South Carolina are also paying premium prices for non-renewable energy—the production of which contaminates water, air and soil.
Yep, the petroleum industry leaks oil into your drinking water but does not put money in your pocket. You’ll note that all the poorest states are in the Old Boy South— except New Mexico! That has got to change for New Mexicans, and we voters must require every candidate for state and federal offices to explain how their election will accelerate the conversion to safe, non-polluting, diseasefree alternative energy sources that New Mexico has in abundance. The Southwest is a land of nearly year-round sunshine (and usually reliable monsoons and occasional snowfalls). Sunlight doesn’t pollute our groundwater or soil. We installed solar panels in 2014 on our roof, though our household still relies upon gas for cooking and gasoline for driving. So we are not completely free of extractive sources of energy. But our conversion to healthful sun power for our home has lessened our complicity in ruining our Earth. And has saved us a lot of money over eight years—paying us back our installation cost (panels plus labor) in only five years, and lowering our electric bills.
Six years ago, a solar installation cost less than it does in 2022. But New Mexico is dallying. As long as a few companies dominate the solar installation industry, the cost to convert will continue to rise. So let’s help startups, home builders and renovators manufacture and install solar components. Memo to our state and federal politicians—those appointed as well as those elected: Increase subsidies for conversions to solar (and thermal and wind) for homeowners. Give those folks who have not yet converted, the same benefit my family enjoyed when solar was still starting up. Oil and gas will run out, leaving a cratered planet; the Sun is forever.
In the meantime, both our federal and state governments should increase and extend ‘tax rebates’ to those who choose alternative energy to run their homes or businesses. The current offer of ‘tax credits’ do not help many small businesses or homeowners (retirees and others with low incomes). Let’s urge our elected representatives to enable conversion for all to alternative energy by offering direct subsidies at all levels. The oil and gas industry will fight conversion to alternative energy, though they should start getting into alt energy themselves. (Auto-makers began catching on to the future a decade ago with electric vehicles).
Want to start a revolution? Let’s push New Mexico to rapidly expand its inevitable conversion to alternative sources of energy. There’ll come a time when homebuyers will pay a premium for homes with alternative, less expensive power, as real estate agents are discovering—particularly those in the Southwest states that have seen a 1,500% increase in population since the 1920s. Frank Cullen, Edgewood