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.