| The US government must continue to back the | | | | needs only leaves us open to sabotage while draining |
| expansion of the role of alternative energy research | | | | our coffers in order to fill other nations'. |
| and development and its implementation by | | | | It can be argued that federal, state, and local |
| companies and homeowners. Although this writer | | | | governments should work in conjunction on the issue |
| believes in the reign of the free market and that | | | | of alternative energy research and development and |
| “that government is best which governs | | | | implement mandatory programs for new home |
| least”, our current system has companies and | | | | construction and all home remodeling that stipulate |
| people expecting federal backing of major initiative | | | | the installation of alternative energy power |
| with direct investment, in the form of tax breaks, | | | | sources—eventually over a certain period of years |
| rebate incentives, and even direct central bank | | | | transforming into 100% installation of alternative |
| investment into the alternative energy industry. | | | | energy sources for any new home or corporate |
| The US and its citizenry need to invest all of the time | | | | building—as well as backing a similar program to |
| and energy that they can spare to the conversion | | | | have all new vehicles produced in the nation be hybrid |
| from a fossil fuel burning society to one that is green | | | | vehicles or hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles by |
| for several different reasons. The green economy will | | | | the year 2020. All levels of government could also |
| not harm the environment or the quality of our air | | | | impose mandatory compliance laws on construction |
| like fossil fuel burning does. We can become the | | | | and utilities companies. The utility companies in all 50 |
| energy independent nation that we need to be by | | | | states should be required to invest in alternative |
| cutting away our need to import oil, especially oil that | | | | energy research and development while also being |
| is produced by anti-American nations such as Iran. | | | | required to buy back, at fair rates, excess energy |
| Ultimately, renewable energies and extremely | | | | produced by homeowners through their use of |
| efficient energies like atomic energy are far less | | | | alternative energy power sources. Strong financial |
| expensive than the continuous mining and drilling for | | | | incentives need to be in place for new companies to |
| fossil fuels. If we do not invest in our future now, | | | | invest in developing renewable energies. This would |
| catastrophe awaits us. We are going to need to | | | | not only make the US energy independent at the |
| consume more energy than ever in our history as we | | | | fastest possible rate, but it would stimulate the |
| sail into the 21st century and beyond—our | | | | growth of the economy and provide tens of |
| dependency on foreigners for meeting these energy | | | | thousands of new, good-paying jobs for people. |