Support Renewable Energy Research

The researchers at The National Renewable Energy Research Laboratory deserve our support.  As you know, the first budget submitted by the Bush administration attempted to cut their budget in half.  Under this administration, top DOE leadership has remained openly hostile to their mission.

That mission, pushing the frontiers of renewable energy technologies is one that the American people have consistently indicated overwhelming support for.  In a time when the limitations of our fossil fuel resources are becoming all too clear, when the implications of climate change are becoming impossible to deny (unless you write for the Wall Street Journal editorial page), The National Renewable Energy Laboratory should be the crown jewel in our national lab system.  It goes to the heart of what it will take to make us a secure nation in the 21st century.

Instead, it is chronically underfunded.  The scientists and engineers are working with antiquated equipment that would be laughed at in private industry.  But still they come from all over the world to work on these problems because they believe in the mission.  

We hear a lot of talk about how we should support an effort to get serious about a "New Apollo Program" in renewables.  Well, talk is cheap.  Why don't we start by supporting the people who are working for us right now?  The current budget that just passed or looks like it is about to is pretty much the same as last year.  But due to earmarks, pork in essence, they will be about $5million short in operating expenses for this year.  That means that unless they can scavenge up some outside money working on other stuff, unrelated to renewable energy, to keep people around, they will probably have to lay-off as many as twenty scientists this year.

Think of it.  Everyone is freaking out about the oil situation.  We are talking about what we might do in terms of promoting these technologies and quietly without a word in the media, they are contemplating relatively large lay-offs at the only national lab dedicated to working on renewable energy technologies.  Brilliant.  I think we should adopt these people.  I think we should show the politicians that to do something that so clearly contradicts the spirit of what the population wants them to do will result in consequences.  What do you say Kossaks?