A Chance to Make a Difference

The Choices We Face:

Okay, folks, here are the circumstances: With a growing population, we are told that we must add capacity. And here are the hard choices which are not hard choices at all if we think about them objectively and rationally: We perpetuate the status quo which means that we add more coal burning capacity (We make electricity at Indian River from coal).

Right now, I have learned that we are currently burning a full railroad car full of coal a day. That means if we do not change the status quo, we shall be increasing our current consumption as needs increase. We should be asking ourselves what that means in real terms. The short answer: Despite the promises of coal gasification, the process does not eliminate toxins from entering the atmosphere or the water-ways. The alternative: We vote for clean energy in the form of proven wind power.

Presently, scientists tell us that the burning of fossil fuels in the environment will contribute to 20,000 more deaths per year. Moreover, under the newer methods being touted by the coal industry for Delaware, those effluents which include metal heavy residues that are toxic will be dumped into the water-ways which will not only add toxins to the oceans, it will change the acidity levels and raise the temperature of the water-ways contributing to global warming. The University of Delaware has also prepared computer projections of global warming’s effect on water levels and erosion. Suffice it to say that if we continue with the status quo, Delaware will be unrecognizable within the next fifty years.

Now, some people still play hardball about the argument for global warming. They will find fault with it for no other reason than to find fault with it. But the more thoughtful scientists, those whose lives are not dependent on a government check, will admit that global warming is a fact of life. For those few remaining Doubting Thomases, we refer you to the duck syndrome: You know, if it looks like it contributes to global warming, it acts like it’s contributing to global warming, and it has appreciably raised temperatures in real world terms, then coal, like other fossil fuels does impact global warming. Anyone who doesn’t accept that argument simply is turning his or her back on a wealth of evidence that points strongly in that direction or he’s part of the lobby to promote the status quo..

Moreover, while the consumer may face additional health problem, using more coal instead of less is not going to lessen the amount of his bills or make any other contribution to the improvement in life in Delaware. In fact, increased coal consumption may cause some people to question why there are living in a state that places human life below the benefits of big contributions to campaign chests. A question many may begin to ask themselves if we cannot get beyond the status quo. THE BOTTOM LINE: OUR POLITICIANS NEED TO BE REMINDED THAT THERE FIRST OBLIGATION IS TO THE WELFARE OF DELAWARE CITIZENS.

On the other hand, we all have an opportunity to serve as a beacon here for the rest of the country by showing what real leadership is capable of.

We know from the evidence that wind power works! This is not something new: Wind power has been around for generations and works! We know that we can achieve all of our goals with the use of wind generators that have come a long way since the early days of wind generation. They are now being placed mostly in deeper water; they are larger, create more energy and store the energy through the system.
What’s more, we can generate enough wind-power to sell it to other power users in the north-east corridor.

Best of all, \wind power uses natural resources and does not make demands on any other resource; it is clean and can satisfy all of our energy needs and it can save us money, preserve our fish population, contribute to cleaner air and cleaner water. .
And, most of all, according to a study by the U of D over 90% of people who responded prefer it over conventional fossil fuels…

Most of us also realize that Delaware is a beautiful state whose beauty should not be despoiled by conventional fossil fuels that poison the air and the sea. Many of us came here to enjoy Nature but in the past ten or fifteen years, studies of the Inland Bays show an increase in mercury and other metallic contents that affect the quality of the fish that we catch and the water we drink. In view of these deleterious trends that do not auger well for the airways or waterways that we act responsibly and make the kind of decisions now to keep Delaware a travel destination that we can all appreciate. No doubt about it, it will take courage to do what is right but our representatives have given us no reasonable reason why we should not break the mold and go with clean and healthy wind power over more of the same solutions that only befoul our air and water.

It’s time to remind our government and elected officials why they were elected before they come to cast their votes for new energy resources for Delaware. It’s the one time that concerned citizens need to show they support clean energy, energy we can be proud of that not only contributes to a lessening of global warming but keeps our water-ways healthy and our future’s free of concern.

Thank you.

Les Aaron-Friedlieb
Business Planner, Consultant

An independent Delaware voice for healthy choices…

The Committee for Positive Change