The U.S. Department of Energy has officially declared war on renewable energy.
The department, headed by Rick Perry, has released a report that declares a strong support for coal. The new report, commissioned by Perry, is recommending an increase in energy production through the use of coal power.
Additionally, the report recommends that regulations should be relaxed in favor of fossil fuels in order for the industry to turn a profit. And it doesn’t stop with coal. The report also suggests an increased reliance on nuclear power.
Don’t be fooled by the praise on the DOE landing page for the report, which features quotes from CEOs related to the fossil fuel industry, spouting things like:
“We commend Secretary Perry and the Department of Energy for studying the challenges facing the electricity grid. One of the biggest challenges is how to preserve the nation’s coal fleet so it can continue supporting a reliable and resilient electricity grid.” -Paul Baily/CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
and
“[The Study] reaffirms our view that nuclear energy is a key and necessary contributor to a clean, reliable and resilient electric grid. In the 10 years since the last comprehensive grid study by our government, electricity markets have changed radically. Today electricity markets do not properly credit nuclear energy for the numerous benefits it delivers, forcing plants to close years before the end of their useful lives and compromising grid reliability and resiliency in the process.” -Maria Korsnick/Nuclear Energy Institute
Experts from nearly every field related to energy technology say the report is clearly skewed in its preference toward fossil fuels.
The National Resources Defense Council released a statement in response to the report’s release, saying:
“The recommendations ignore renewable energy’s contributions to a reliable electricity system. They also include misguided proposals to gut environmental rules for coal and nuclear plants and to pay fossil resources for reliability services that DOE hasn’t demonstrated are necessary. DOE and Secretary Perry should be focusing instead on accelerating the growth of clean energy rather than creating barriers.”
The report is clearly out of touch with what many energy experts have agreed on: renewable energy is the future.
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