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Friday, February 25, 2005
NW Environment: Too dependent on oil
The Northwest's quality of life depends greatly on energy -- to move people, heat our homes and power our businesses. There's a lot we can do to make a better energy future here.
A new report from Northwest Environment Watch takes a close look at energy and the strength of the economy. This second edition of the group's pioneering Cascadia Scorecard of the Northwest's quality of life finds big causes for concern about the security of our energy supplies.
As the report notes, the Northwest states and British Columbia's metropolitan areas are heavily dependent on long pipelines or transmission lines that are inherently hard to protect against terrorist attack or natural disaster. The report sees at least marginal value in some efforts to make the distribution systems more secure.
The real gains, though, would come from reinventing our energy future. And revolutionary improvement is no pipe dream because of new energy sources and the Northwest's high-tech strengths. Policy changes could encourage not just cleaner car engines but also greater use of efficient appliances. We won't send as much money elsewhere if, for example, we develop cellulose ethanol for fuel from wood and plant waste.
As motorists and the scorecard note, rising energy costs mean money is pumped away faster than ever. We'd all be better off with a system using more clean, reliable Northwest sources of energy.
 | |
| What would be the best source of help in ensuring affordable, secure energy supplies? | |
 0.5%Department of Homeland Security |
26.8% State and federal legislation |
| 62.1% Technical innovation |
5.8% Big oil and energy companies |
| 4.7% Not sure |
|
| Total Votes: 190 | |
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