Energy bill needs support

To the editor:

Sens. Murkowski and Begich have a critical decision to make in the days ahead regarding the American Clean Energy and Security Act. This bill is a substantial acknowledgment by political leaders of the almost incomprehensible challenges that climate warming presents to the global interests of the United States. It also addresses security risks tied to continued dependence on foreign oil and it mobilizes unprecedented economic opportunities by reframing energy policy.

The world’s ecosystem as we’ve known it is most certainly changing, and these changes are seen in Alaska now more clearly than ever before. Nobody knows what the implication of this will be in terms of the global distribution of natural resources, power and wealth.

Because so much is at stake, Alaska should be at the forefront of this movement as corporations, institutions and world governments are waking up to the inevitable paradigm shift to renewable clean energy. This shift is not optional nor is it something that is going to happen slowly. We urge our senators to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Alaska has much to offer and much to gain in supporting this bill.

Kevin Meddleton and Samantha Berg

Palmer