The editorial "Focus 2007: Global, national, area issues demanding attention" (Dec. 31) listed energy policy as one of five issues that have priority this year. The editorial called for an emphasis on conservation and alternative energy sources, including renewable forms such as solar, wind, biomass and geothermal.
If Texas were a nation, it would be the fifth largest energy user in the world and the seventh biggest polluter with carbon dioxide emissions.
In 1993, Texas switched from being an exporter of energy to an importer of energy. Billions of dollars are now leaving the state to pay for oil and coal, and if current trends continue, Texas could be importing more than 80 percent of its energy by 2040.
The good news is that Texas ranks first in the nation in the potential for renewable energy. Solar power is opening doors of opportunity for energy independence, cost stability, cleaner air and economic development.
Worldwide, the multibillion-dollar solar power industry is growing at a rate of 40 percent per year. If 20 percent of Texas' electricity were to come from renewable energy by 2020, a net increase of 38,290 jobs is predicted, along with energy bill savings of $5.6 billion and 22 million fewer tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
San Antonio has a mother lode of solar power and should become a focal point of solar power development in the South Texas market.
The editorial calls on the administration and Congress to reduce our dependence on foreign oil for economic and security reasons. Our state Legislature and local governments also have a critical role in protecting the economic growth we now enjoy.
Our state and local policies put San Antonio on the Forbes magazine list of the 10 U.S. cities hit hardest by high gasoline prices. Renewable energy funding must be institutionalized by the city, county and public utilities for these entities to be leaders and defenders of San Antonio's competitive energy position.
The leadership of CPS Energy has made it possible for San Antonio homeowners to purchase wind-generated electricity. Fort Sam Houston is now saving nearly a half-million dollars a year with solar power. But we also need solar power programs like the one in Lakeland, Fla., where the utility installs solar water heating equipment in residences, and Austin Energy's rebates to customers for installing solar panels.
San Antonio is enjoying a boom in the construction of residential, commercial and school buildings. The future value of this investment is based on the extent to which these buildings depend on expensive and polluting fossil fuels.
For example, it costs $1 billion per year to operate area schools, with energy being the second largest budget item. If future school building bond issues included a provision of at least 20 percent renewable energy, schools could cut their energy bill by 20 percent to 25 percent.
The urgency cited in the editorial is real. Now is the time to make our commitment.