Norton: E for Effort on Renewable Energy

Interior Secretary Gale Norton should be applauded for her efforts to expand renewable energy production, not castigated unfairly, as you did in your Nov. 27 editorial (“Of Oil and Hot Air”). Renewable energy technologies today provide roughly 25% of California’s electricity, and there is tremendous potential to provide much more reliable, cost-effective and clean power to the West from renewable resources. However, the West’s biggest landlord, the federal government, has to put its shoulder behind the effort if geothermal, wind, solar and biomass power will ever achieve this potential. From cutting bureaucratic delays to ensuring adequate transmission lines to buying more green power, the federal government has a major role to play.

Of course, we will all have to see what kind of follow-through occurs, but the National Conference on Opportunities to Expand Renewable Energy on Public Lands on Nov. 28 was a huge success. In one day, through Norton’s efforts, renewable energy received more constructive attention from a range of high-level federal officials than I have seen at any time in the last 20 years. Skeptics and partisans may paint Norton’s actions with sinister motives or charges of hypocrisy. What I saw at the conference was a secretary of Interior who was active, engaged and motivated to do something positive by promoting the expansion of renewable energy.

Karl Gawell

Geothermal Energy Assn.

Washington

In response to “The Sacking of Science at Interior,” Opinion, Nov. 25: Did anyone really expect Norton to provide the Bush administration and the American people with an unbiased, scientific report from all sources on the effects of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? The Bush administration is so heavily invested in oil that any reports contrary to its thinking would be considered inappropriate, disrespectful and invalid. Norton had her marching orders and carried them out. The Bush administration looks at fossil fuels as the primary energy source, with conservation and alternate forms of energy as secondary, at best. The question is, can we tolerate Norton and her abuse of our environment for the next three years?

Robert Serbicki

Chatsworth

Re “Democrats Delay Senate Vote on Energy Bill,” Nov. 28: I do believe the Senate should diminish the prospects of Bush’s energy plan, which includes drilling for oil in the pristine ANWR. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle’s plan will be one long-overdue step in the right direction. Instead of being dependent on dirty, nonrenewable sources of power, we can start to use the much-cleaner renewables available, such as solar and wind.

Judy Ortiz

Santa Monica