It’s California-centric, but the best op-ed I’ve read in a while comes from Zeke Grader of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishing Associations:
We have to view the Gulf spill as an opportunity as much as a catastrophe. It’s a goad, urging us to move beyond oil to forms of energy that are sustainable, clean and safe. Rather than spending the next decade bringing to market energy that threatens our planet, let’s spend it developing clean renewables like wind and solar.
In California, we already have a game plan for this necessary transition. It’s called AB 32, also known as the Global Warming Solutions Act. It provides incentives for the development of clean energy technology, sets product and building energy efficiency standards and stems the release of harmful greenhouse gases to the atmosphere…
It is not surprising that the full implementation of AB 32 is being resisted by – guess who- the oil companies. A cabal of Texas oil refiners have shelled out megabucks to circulate petitions for something they call the California Jobs Initiative…
This scam isn’t about California jobs. It’s about Texas oil company profits. The last thing the oil companies want is a vibrant sustainable energy sector. And to their horror, AB 32 is already delivering on its promise…
Go read the rest of it on the San Francisco Chronicle‘s website. It does a good job of connecting up the fact that the folks who brought you the Gulf Oil catastrophe are the same ones who will need to be dragged kicking and screaming into a clean energy future.
And if Grader isn’t snarky enough for you, I’ll recommend The Onion‘s take on the subject.
