Oil prices are falling. But the need to move to renewable sources of energy is not going away.
Competition for finite reserves and political instability throughout much of the oil-producing world mean prices will likely change course regardless of the state of the economy.
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That’s why it’s imperative for states and counties to promote renewable energy like wind — considered too expensive until recently to compete with oil. Carroll County was the first in the state to pass legislation allowing turbines in May. Baltimore County recently allowed a landowner to build a turbine to produce energy for his property despite aesthetic objections and is now considering changes to laws limiting the heights of turbines. And Harford could be next, thanks to a group of farmers pushing the county council to consider legislation allowing turbines on residential and commercial property.
Wind power can’t supplant oil by a long shot. Building turbines is expensive and only some land is windy enough to make them worthwhile. But it does not mean that the state should not promote it wherever possible to reduce dependence on oil, to help the environment and to promote a reliable source of energy. As a 2007 Government Accountability Office report says, a peak in oil production “would require sharp reductions in oil consumption, and the competition for increasingly scarce energy would drive up prices, possibly to unprecedented levels, causing severe economic damage.” It recommends a coordinated federal effort to monitor oil production and to support viable private sector technologies that could reduce demand for petroleum.
Counties should not wait for the state to take the lead on promoting wind power.
Gov. Martin O’Malley may want the state’s power to include 20 percent renewables by 2022, but he prohibited putting wind turbines on public land managed by the Department of Natural Resources earlier this year because of opposition by those who consider turbines ugly.
We may not know when oil production will peak or political problems could interrupt petroleum production, but what’s clear is that we must prepare for what geology and common sense say will happen. Supporting wind-friendly technologies is one way counties can help their residents navigate a world that must learn to transition to new energy sources to thrive.
