Time is now to end addiction to fossil fuels

The following op-ed from Matt Hisel, Jim Baerg, Chris Daum and Sean Micken appeared in the Helena Independent and the Missoulan:

Every American President since Eisenhower has warned against the dangers of fossil-fuel addiction. And each one has left America more dependent than when he took office.

Like any addiction, the longer we ignore it, the worse it gets. The costs have become unbearable: hammering our economy; undermining our national security; destabilizing our climate; foreclosing our children’s future. Regardless of which of these symptoms bothers you most, we should agree on this: Fossil-fuel addiction is a dead-end street and it’s high time to break it. Are we ready?

That’s the question before Congress as they consider a cap on climate pollution. A cap is a serious commitment — not just another speech — to reduce our fossil-fuel dependence while spurring the growth of American clean energy — including wind and solar — and energy efficiency, creating many more jobs for Montanans, and ultimately lowering our energy costs. Everyone wins except those old, polluting corporations, and then only temporarily, if they invest in transitioning to new more profitable technologies.

It’s easy for elected officials to wave their hands and toot their horns in support of clean energy and reducing fossil-fuel dependence. But now it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff. We can’t afford another round of empty rhetoric and minor policy tweaks. After decades of foot-dragging, are our leaders finally ready to DELIVER on the promise of reduced fossil-fuel dependence and clean energy solutions? Here in Montana, we’re ready to start building a strong new energy economy that keeps more of our energy dollars here in our communities and creates good jobs. Will our federal government help, or stand in the way?

Naysayers — with generous support from the fossil fuel industry — will say we’re not ready for this transition and that it will hurt our economy. And yet much of the rest of the world is already making it. Europe, Japan and even China are way ahead of us on vehicle and energy efficiency, high-speed transit, wind and solar energy, battery technology — the clean energy industries of the future. While much of the world is choosing Toyota’s business strategy — innovate and reduce fossil-fuel dependence — America is mired in GM’s and Exxon’s strategy — resist change and prolong fossil-fuel dependence. How’s that workin’ for us?

Making this transition will require many policy and economic innovations that save energy and money and provide good new jobs. But a single policy decision will show whether Congress is serious about this, or whether they will cave yet again to the fossil-fuel lobby: Putting a real, science-based cap on climate pollution, with timelines and accountability for results.

Elected leaders can speechify until they are blue in the face about energy independence. We’ll know they’re serious when they cap carbon.

Matt Hisel is co-director of Home Resources, Missoula; Jim Baerg of Montana Energy and Design, Livingston; Chris Daum of Oasis Montana, Stevensville; and Sean Micken, Western Community Energy, LLC, Bozeman contributed to this column.