Gov. Kulongoski, Saxton differ on renewables.Byline: David Steves The Register-Guard Oregon's candidates for governor have long histories with renewable energy Renewable energy utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, and hydroelectricity to biomass and biofuels for transportation. . Both men were part of the political scene back when President Jimmy Carter put on a sweater, turned down the thermostat, and tried to coax the nation to a future of gasohol gasohol, a gasoline extender made from a mixture of gasoline (90%) and ethanol (10%; often obtained by fermenting agricultural crops or crop wastes) or gasoline (97%) and methanol, or wood alcohol (3%). and shale-derived oil. Gov. Ted Kulongoski Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski (born November 5 1940, in rural Missouri[1]) is an American Democratic politician. Since 2003, he has served as the Governor of Oregon. He was re-elected in 2006. , a Democrat, recalls working in the 1970s as a Lane County legislator on legislation to reward conservation and provide tax credits for solar panels. Challenger Ron Saxton Ronald L. Saxton (born 1954, Albany, Oregon) is a lawyer[1] and Republican politician in Oregon. He graduated from Albany High School in 1972, earned a bachelors degree from Willamette University in 1976[2] , a Republican, was a U.S. Senate aide who at one point lined up witnesses for a hearing on the possibilities of harnessing the ocean's waves to generate electricity. Today, Saxton and Kulongoski bring distinctly different views on how Oregon should pursue renewable energy. Kulongoski As governor, Kulongoski has been prodding the state to adopt what's known as a Renewable Portfolio Standard  This article or section may deal primarily with the U.S. and may not present a worldwide view. (RPS rpsabbr. revolutions per second ). Kulongoski wants a mandate that 25 percent of Oregon's electricity come from renewable sources by 2025. He said utilities have made strides but would be more likely to continue their expansion into nonemitting, environmentally sustainable energy
Sustainable energy sources are energy sources which are not expected to be depleted in a timeframe relevant to the human race, and which if government set such standards. That notion was driven home five years ago when Kulongoski attended a conference on wind power. He recalled a conversation there with the president of a Danish wind-turbine maker. The executive told Kulongoski that one of the challenges in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. was that it hadn't given companies like his the same certainty that Europe had about a long-term commitment to renewable energy. Setting an RPS would do that. "I became convinced that what he said was absolutely correct: that you have to set a bar out there," Kulongoski said. "It has to be realistic, but it also has to be high enough that it motivates investors to want to get into this market." Kulongoski said his `25 by '25' standard was based on what he and his advisers considered a realistic timetable. Oregon's utilities would have to increase their share of renewable energy by about 1 percent each year to stay on pace for such a target. Kulongoski also called for expanded state tax credits for renewable projects and wants Oregon to prime the investment pump for the renewables sector. One idea he's discussed with Washington's governor is to jointly invest Oregon and Washington pension funds, perhaps $500 million each, into venture capital for renewable energy. Saxton Saxton foresees state government taking a light-handed approach toward renewable energy if he's elected. While he said it is "perfectly fine" for the state to hold up the pursuit of renewable energy as a goal, environmental concerns are part of an energy-policy mix that also must include affordability and reliability. He said the recent decision by Google to build a massive, electricity-sucking "server farm" in The Dalles dalles pl.n. The rapids of a river that runs between the steep precipices of a gorge or narrow valley. [French, pl. of dalle, gutter, from Old French, from Old Norse dæla.] along with similar developments in eastern Washington
Unlike Kulongoski, Saxton opposes requiring that a certain percentage of electricity come from a combination of wind, solar, geo-thermal and biomass plants. "They're gimmicks and they could turn into very expensive gimmicks," he said. Not only might such a requirement force utilities to adopt costly alternatives to conventional energy resources, Saxton said, it could force public utilities to give up some of their low-cost hydro-power from federal dams so they can add renewables. Saxton said the best approach is to let the markets do their jobs, and if a particular energy source comes close to competing with traditional sources, the government can use tax credits or other incentives to bring its costs down until the support isn't needed. "You have to have technology and the market come together," Saxton said. "The state can nudge the market a little, but you can't remake a market that's not there." SEE ALSO: Renewable energy revolution: Gov. Ted Kulongski is pushing to make Oregon the 21st state to require that a portion of energy comes from environmentally friendly sources / A1 |
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