We all know that Washington is good at avoiding crises until they boil over, and sometimes even that’s not reason enough. Nevertheless, as we continue to push Congress to pass an energy bill—please!—before adjourning for the elections, we would like to add one more reason for action now: water.
As pointed out recently in an article by Dan Grossman of Environmental Defense and Bart Miller, the Western states are still suffering from a decade-long drought, with major storage reservoirs only 55% full.
This matters for energy because using traditional fuels to generate electricity uses huge amounts of water, while wind and solar use virtually none. Plus, wind and solar resources are plentiful in the Western U.S.
If Congress passes a strong renewable electricity standard, with hard targets, it will eventually free up some water that is now being used in traditional power plants.
Grossman and Miller noted,
Quote : Water is the essential ingredient of life in the West, where we depend on scarce supplies for drinking water, to grow food that feeds our communities, to support a large and growing recreational economy, sustain the environment, and maintain our quality of life.
At the Western Governor's Association meeting last month, Montana's Governor Schweitzer said, "the demand for water across the West is beginning to outstrip supplies, and states have no time to waste in averting a potential crisis." His sentiment is shared by water managers, engineers, irrigators, and millions of others all across the West.
So if Congress passes a strong RES this year, it will be a down payment on both easing water scarcity in the West and rolling back climate change—using renewable energy rather than fossil fuels to produce electricity will reduce carbon emissions even absent without cap-and-trade legislation.
If that makes sense to you, consider calling your Senator and urging action now on a strong energy bill. |
