New Energy Future News

High spending on fossil fuels is largely driven by our dependence on oil, according to the analysis. Minnesota is on track to spend as much as $23.4billion on oil alone in 2030, 74 percent of the state’s total spending on fossil fuels.

“This Independence Day, we are calling on Congress to break our dependence on Big Oil and Dirty Coal,” said Sam Chadwick of Environment Minnesota.  “Instead of allowing the costs of fossil fuels to continue to mount, Congress should repower America with clean, renewable energy that will create jobs and stop global warming.”

Nationally, in 2006, U.S. consumers and businesses spent $921 billion on fossil fuels – more than was spent on education or the military.  The country is on track to spend between $23 trillion and $30 trillion on fossil fuels between 2010 and 2030, the high end of which is more than double the nation’s total economic output in 2007.

These figures do not include the untold damages to our environment, health, and society resulting from the production and use of fossil fuels – such as global warming, air and water pollution, mountaintop mining, and oil spills.  “Every additional dollar we spend on fossil fuels just buys us more global warming pollution, more smog, and more asthma attacks,” continued Sam Chadwick.

In contrast, moving to clean energy – wind turbines, solar panels, and energy-efficient homes and buildings – would save money, even excluding the additional benefits for the environment, health, and security.  For instance, a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that transitioning to clean energy would cut costs in the West North Central region by $800 per household annually and save consumers and business a total of $16 billion annually in 2030.  In addition, clean energy creates jobs here at home, since clean energy projects tend to be labor intensive and cannot be outsourced.

“When the choice is between paying to uphold a dirty polluting status quo and investing in a new direction for America, clean energy is the clear winner,” said Gerardo Ruiz of FreEner-g.  “Businesses like ours which have been galvanizing the commercial solar industry are building the new clean energy economy.”

Tim Smith, director of the initiative on Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Minnesota, highlighted the unique role Minnesota will play in the face of addressing climate change. “Minnesota is already leading the way with green jobs growth,” he said on Tuesday. “The green jobs sector has grown 70% in recent years, thanks to impressive gains in renewable energy generation and infrastructure, energy storage, and mass transit.”

On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454), historic legislation that creates a framework for moving to a clean energy economy and curbing global warming. 

“We applaud Representatives Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, Tim Waltz, Jim Oberstar, and Collin Peterson for supporting the bill.  We are extremely disappointed that Representatives Michele Bachmann, John Kline, and Erik Paulsen voted against it.  Now is the time for bold and meaningful action on clean energy and global warming.  The Senate must strengthen and pass this critical bill.  We urge Senator Klobuchar to move quickly to enact strong solutions for a clean energy economy and stopping global warming,” said Sam Chadwick of Environment Minnesota. 

Environment Minnesota’s report uses government data to quantify current and projected spending on fossil fuels nationally and by state.  The High Cost of Fossil Fuels: Why America Can’t Afford to Depend on Dirty Energy, includes the following findings:

• Minnesota will spend as much as $1,949 more per person every year on fossil fuels in 2030, if we stay on our current energy path.

• In 2006, Minnesota spent $3057 per capita on fossil fuels.  In 2030, that figure is expected to rise to between $3849and $5007 for every man, woman, and child in the state, as much as a 64 percent increase

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Environment Minnesota is a state-based, citizen-funded environmental organization working for clean air, clean water, and open space.