In response to a recent statement by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on the need for more pipelines to move resources from Point A to Point B and to create jobs, I would like to point out that if renewable energy is utilized by individual communities, there will be no need to transfer fossil fuels long distances. In addition, where Sen. Murkowski argues that good jobs would be created by building pipelines, I’d like to mention that good jobs would also be created by building dams, windmills and solar panels. The renewable energy industry currently employs more workers than the fossil fuel industry and would be a better investment for both our economy and environment. Investing in renewables would also help to counter climate change, the most pressing issue we face today. As a representative of Alaska, the state being hit hardest by climate change, and the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee, climate change should be Sen. Murkowski’s top priority, not pipelines.
Cassidy White,
Alaska climate change and renewable energy organizer,
Sitka Conservation Society