Incentives for alternative energy?

Robt Heemstra: incentives only make you weak and dependent. Sorry, can you switch to the other side?

Sharron Salin: Because it's important for our national security. - Having our economy dependent on countries that are unfriendly or unstable, is not a wise idea, no matter how you look at it. - Al Qaeda is financed (indirectly) by oil sales, so continuing to use oil means we are paying for both sides of the war in Iraq. - The end of cheap oil (some call it peak oil) is at hand, so for our economy to have a chance of remaining viable, we need to be able to use alternatives, preferably from sources here in our own country.But in order for some of these alternative fuels to be viable (cellulosic ethanol for instance, or natural gas-powered vehicles) we need some up-front funding or incentives for establishing the infrastructure. Generally market forces will be enough for development, but in the case of national security, it's worthwhile to use public funds to promote ! this....Show more

Inge Mclaurine: There is only one efficient reason to use alternative energy and that is if it is cheaper to use it.

Nancy Mansell: Rising costs of petrol and diesel fuels.Cleaner emissionsSolar and wind energy are renewable energy resources whilst hydrocarbon fuels are a non-renewable energy source.They help reduce emissions that cause global warming, and ozone depletion by reducing the Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbon's released in to the atmosphere which destroy a great deal of ozone in the upper atmosphere which ozone is a primary filter for ultra-violet light radiation. UV light is what causes sunburn and one of the primary causes for the melting of the icecaps.If the present trend still occurs into the future what problems will future generations of humans have to deal with. Do we want to provide them with a world where children don't know what a tree or forest is, except from archival footage. Or what an elephant and other species of animals th! at would have become extinct? How would you explain to future ! generations that we had the means to prevent global calamity occurring but did nothing but give lip service or band aid solutions to these problems. ...Show more

Shandi Wedge: How about the fact that almost all energy production is subsidized by the gov't. I think we should charge or charge more for the oil companies to use public lands to drill, then we won't need to raise taxes or energy rates to give incentives.