In the November 28 Richmond Times-Dispatch, Montpelier resident Sheryl Smith offered an insightful recommendation for America’s energy policy:

America is at an energy crossroads. We need to decide where to invest our energy money for our future. Should our government spend more money to develop new sources of oil and natural gas? Or should we look further into the future and plan now for the days when the dwindling supplies will be spent?I’ve been reading in

The Times-Dispatch about the possible leasing of areas for offshore drilling in Virginia. I believe that with strict environmental standards, offshore drilling should not be a problem. However, neither the state nor the federal government should finance or subsidize this drilling in any way. If there is a profit to be made by the oil and natural gas companies, let them drill for it, but none of our tax dollars should be spent on the technologies of the past. Our government needs to invest in the energy of the future.

By moving our government dollars toward renewable energy development and away from supporting oil and coal, we can create a better long-term future. Repowering America would mean new industries with high-paying domestic green jobs, lower energy costs, and replacing coal and oil with clean domestic energy that is free and limitless. We can’t do this overnight, but we need to shift our government support now from the old ways to the future. Wouldn’t it be nice to never hear about OPEC again?

Sheryl Smith