There are some things I'd love to write here in this space, but I don't think it's time just yet. I don't want to rob the idea of it's power by disclosing it too soon. There are things that could be done in this region to help drive making it a premier area for support and manufacturing for this industry, and I need to contact certain parties to put the wheels in motion before I talk much on it. Anyone that's read through from the early pages knows my resoning for why this area should be a leader in the field of renewable energy. There are many things that add to the bottom line potential of the Great Lakes region as a power-house of renewable energy. But how to get from point A to point Z?

That question could be debated for centuries, I suppose, but the opportunity is now, while the industry is still in it's infancy. First and foremost, the regional governments involved need to form an "Energy Union" to develope policy to move the region into position in the energy industry. That council needs to have real say over energy statutes in member states - and while that might give up some control, it would also create a powerhouse energy production entity that could drive the industry in the area, given the right talent and drive.

A question that needs to be answered, how much authority would such a body have to negotiate an international treaty? Canada also borders on these bodies of water, and the Canadian provincial governments in the region should rightfully be involved. That would not only avoid friction with our Northern neighbors, it would add to the ability of such a body to attract industry players to the region and generate local economic activity in renewable energy on a much grander scale. But how to get such a commission or union truly going?

One can't help but look at the example of the European Union for ideas. They're managing to drive governments that have been at odds for centuries to work together to achieve economies of scale in industry and commerce. If the Americas do not follow suit, they will be in time left behind by Europe and Asia. Already Europe and especially the Netherlands are taking a significant lead in energy independence by strong investment in developement of wind energy. They are running a nearly continuous 25% annual growth in wind power, and starting to get seriously involved in offshore wind farming. So what happens if the United States and it's neighbors do not follow this example, or better yet, take the lead?

Our national security is seriously jeopardized by continued reliance on Mid-Eastern oil. Our lines of supply are long and vulnerable to attack. Never forget the past colonial drives of European nations building empires, or the vast asian empires of the past. If we remain reliant on a power source that is produced halfway around the world, those who do not rely on it will have the ability to destroy it and crush our industry without suffering the same fate - and may in fact feel compelled to do so because the environmental impact of our continued use of such fuels is global in nature, and a threat to them as much as to us. This reliance is driven largely by a political coup pulled off by big oil interests in the U.S. executive branch and years of huge public utilities playing ball with oil companies because that's where the money is. Greed could literally destroy this nation, for no matter how powerful our military, it won't stand up to a world united against an environmentally monstrous bully. I have to wonder just exactly how much cross-ownership there is between oil companies and power utilities? Personally, I feel that any fuel suppliers should be forbidden to have ownership in utility companies. I believe that utility companies should be owned by the non-corporate residential customers they serve through stock ownership that is divvied up amongst the population in the area the Utility serves - and that every share should have the right to electronically vote on every issue. It would be interesting to see the results of the energy policy poll that would be...

This is not likely to happen in this country, however. There is far too little organization by the common man in the United States for the power base to be created, although internet based political action groups are making some strides in that direction. I still believe too many make their political decisions through either the inaction of a sense of hoplessness, or raw emotion rather than logic and candiates' voting records. It also is not easy enough to see who stands where on what issues and compare those statements with past voting records for career politicians.

Nevertheless, we are facing serious climate issues, and we MUST take immediate action to redeem our technology and align it with the natural processes that support life on this planet, or face global devastation, and even possibly render the planet lifeless through rapid and catastrophic climate change. In the face of that, it seems every nation on Earth but ours will make an attempt to address the issue. However, the time frames being looked at are in the range of better than a century to completely remove fossil fuels from energy production. This is not fast enough. We've ALREADY poured enough greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere to push the Earth's climate to the edge of habitability over the long term. And we're still turning the burner up on the stove.

We need several things to happen:

1. All taxes should be taken off of energy and equipment that is produced anywhere in the worldfrom renewable sources or for them. This should include any corporate income taxes on infome derived from renwable energy production, servicing, or equipment manufacturing. Tarrifs on such energy or equipment should not be alliowed to exist.

2. All income paid out by individuals in every country for energy from a renewable resource should be 100% tax deductible. So should donations to projects or groups that support or install renewable energy generation equipment.

3. All laws restricting the construction of renewable energy producing equipment other than for protection of endangered species should be rendered unlawful at a federal or global level.

4. Every utility customer should have the right to choose a renewable energy source if it's available, and all utility profits should be required to go into constructing renewable energy power plants until such time as their power plants are 100% non-reliant on fossil fuels.

5. NO utility should be allowed to deny transmission network access by a renewable energy producer, provided their equipment can meet the same network safety standards that current generation technology is held to. The renewable power producer should be required to split the cost of new transmission facilities with the utility company 50/50 and visa versa.

Put these policies in place, and our national security and domestic economic activity will surge, even as the environmental impact of our energy supply will plummet. There would be a huge domestic job market created at a very rapid rate - because the renwable resources are mostly local in nature - and it's cheaper to transfer the power or hydrogen produced than the intial energy source for power production. This would be a godsend for our battered workers and farmers.
- posted by Daniel @ 4:13 AM

 
From ENS, the Healing Our World - Weekly Comment: The Earth Is Heating Up Despite the Lies
- posted by Daniel @ 11:02 PM

 
Illinois Wind Energy is working on Illinois' first wind farm, Crescent Ridge in Bureau County. Read all the press so far at their Project News Page.
- posted by Daniel @ 1:44 AM

 
Native Energy has a program called Windbuilders that allows you to help fund construction of wind farms on Native American reservations and small family farms for a very modest yearly contribution. It's early in the game on this project, they're still putting up their first turbine on the Rosebud Sioux reservation in South Dakota, but it looks like a family-owned farm in South Dakota will be next. The company that is handling the farm-based mills specializes in wind farming on small family farms in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa. The first Minnesota project will make this an official Great Lakes region story, but joining is something you can do now to help. The grid that the South Dakota mills are being connected is the heaviest relier on coal in the nation, making the environmental impact of the wind turbines maximized in benefit.
- posted by Daniel @ 1:11 AM

 
ENS also has an article on a pact on hydrogen economy developement recently signed by the U.S. and the E.U. at: Trans-Atlantic Fuel Cell Development Pact Signed
- posted by Daniel @ 12:48 AM

 
ENS has noted the lack of renewable and conservation groups at the upcoming Natural Gas Summit, with these groups sending a lwetter requesting representation at the summit in order to put some of their potential solutions on the table. Read about it HERE.
- posted by Daniel @ 12:39 AM

 
We're up to five mp3 recorded wind poems now at Our Wind Poetry Page, and there are several others viewable in text only format that will be recorded in time.
- posted by Daniel @ 6:23 PM

 
Couldn't help myself, I was inspired to a new poem by the way I feel about all this:

Becoming Druid:

You walk under the stars and changing skies,
The scent of the Mother slowly invades your heart,
Reaching in with tears and whispers and dreams,
Aspirations for cleaner lives flash burn in the heat of intuition,
And in that moment of inner light you feel her cry,
Saviors operating in bits and pieces,
Like ants we are many dispersed,
Like leaves we feel the wind and sun and they are good,
Working always to bury the detritus that beetles dig up,
This amazing awe in each place untouched,
Poetry is life and life has verses of it's own,
Hearing the whispers in a rainbow will tell you,
But when your un-trained inevitable vision quest comes on you,
There are no other choices because it's your nature,
Our nature but only so many achieve it,
Once the light shines down on you,
Learning to live it in some form of harmony,
Only on that path will the spells and whispers and words,
Add to the bones being shaken,
Bring the wave to crescendo and harmonic force,
Plant a bare foot upon the Earth and you are caressed,
Child and clan open your ears,
The green and the blue and the sky are in your eyes,
Crisp and clean is the common goal,
And the Mother is giving warning the undermind slowly hears,
The trees of her lungs are huffing loud,
Heat on the nape of every neck,
And the few first to notice are a named clan,
The Mother is calling them back home,
Under the stars the children with ancient souls,
Fast are becoming Druid,
And the stars in their eyes best we pray,
May save us all.

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 06/19/2003

Author's Comments:
More and more I find that I want to learn how I can help
heal the Earth - and every day that I read about others
who sense the same urgent beat of time I do,
I realize that this is what my idea of Druid is. Were we
called to these births in this time by God? I hope the sum
adds up in time.
- posted by Daniel @ 9:10 AM

 
Also from ENS, Presidential hopeful Dick Gephardt is embracing wind, solar, and hydrogen: Gephardt Vows to End U.S. Foreign Oil Addiction
- posted by Daniel @ 12:17 AM

 
From ENS, an article on a new and broadly bipartisan coalition to move US energy policy in a direction more compatible with oil independence and renewable energy: Group Aims to Take Politics Out of Energy Policy
- posted by Daniel @ 12:11 AM

 
An in-depth series of articles and essays on Global Warming, the how's, why's, what will happen's, and what you can do to help reduce impacts and effects from ENN: http://www.enn.com/indepth/warming/index.asp
- posted by Daniel @ 11:25 PM

 
Senator John Kerry on energy independence: Kerry Touts Security Through Energy Independence from ENS.
- posted by Daniel @ 8:00 AM

 
A good reference on the geology, origin, history, and climate of the Great Lakes from the EPA...
- posted by Daniel @ 1:11 AM

 
An interesting article from a Canadian who cares... Tapping into wind turbines By Bob Hunter on EYE Weekly
- posted by Daniel @ 11:25 AM