Monthly Archives: June 2012

Clean Energy Nation ~ A book review by Cathy Edmiston

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clean energy nation book cover image“Clean Energy Nation, Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels” by Congressman Jerry McNerney, PhD, and Martin Cheek, American Management Assoc. 2012

Here’s a new, well-organized plan that offers us hope in a world with problems to solve regarding our energy future.  Congressman Jerry McNerney, PhD., serving his third term in California’s 11th District is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment.   He’s also served as an energy consultant for Pacific, Gas and Electric, FlowWind, and The Electric Power Research Institute.  His coauthor, Martin Cheek, a journalist of over twenty years specializes in latest developments in science and high-tech industry.

“If we could harvest only a fraction of solar radiation, human civilization could easily end its dependence on Earth’s fossil-fuel reserves,” says Author McNerney in his chapter on “The Dawn of a New Energy Era.”

“America’s Energy Past and Present,” “America’s Energy Issues” and “America’s Energy Future” are the three sections of this inspiring book, with up-to-date research on our fast developing world in regard to energy needs.  He offers some solutions in his chapter on “Energy and Transportation” and “Energy and Agriculture.”

He tells how other countries in the world are working with alternative energy.  China has 30 million homes and businesses with rooftop solar panels that heat water for showers and dishwashing.  The Japanese are well-known for manufacturing energy efficient vehicles, such as the Prius, the hybrid car that runs on both gasoline and electricity and helps save fuel by recharging a storage battery system when the driver hits the brakes.  Some of Japan’s trains use an advanced braking system to generate electricity that can be stored.  The European Wind Energy Association has a goal of providing enough electricity for 107 million households by 2020.  Author McNerney tells of many other developments in his Chapter on “Energy and the World” in the United Kingdom and Denmark, Latin America, the South Pacific and Africa.

In his Chapter on Good Government, McNerney points out the importance of “upholding fairness, openness, and truthfulness when creating national energy policies.”  “Americans want leaders in government who refuse to show favoritism toward special interests when they are creating and managing our nation’s public policy.  Our nation’s people want leaders with integrity who follow the rules of ethics and consider the facts of science when making their decisions on energy and environmental issues.  Our citizens want lawmakers who understand that their job is to secure liberty for all Americans now and in the future.  As Thomas Jefferson said in 1809, ‘”The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government.”‘  A clean-energy nation requires a clean government.  Clean government is good government.”

Reviewed by Catherine Edmiston, CALM
(This book is available in Litchfield, Hillsboro and Nokomis libraries.)

Pastors’ Coalfields Tour of Macoupin and Montgomery Counties

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Pastors from a wide area, including Chicago, Central and Southern Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana toured various places in Macoupin and Montgomery County on  April 24-25 under the leadership of Rev. Brian Sauder, Champaign  and Rev. Dr. Claire Butterfield of “Faith in Place” in Chicago. They heard about the moral issues of coal mining and the way it is carried out in Illinois. Pastors heard from Citizens Against Longwall Mining (CALM) members in Montgomery County as well as listened to rural residents of Macoupin County who have been greatly affected by longwall mining. Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network and Heartland Coalfield Alliance members were also represented.

The tour began at Virden, Illinois where the group visited the Memorial built for miners. They then set off on the tour, which included sites of longwall mining damage, waste impoundments and streams that have been affected. Loss of farm neighbors is one of the great regrets of one Macoupin County farmer who said, “The Carlinville-Litchfield road has been rebuilt after seven years of closure, but I don’t drive it anymore because all of my neighbors are gone!”

Another farmer pointed out how the ground has dropped four or five feet from a railroad that runs through the land, which has been built up to its original height since the mining.  Large drainage ditches have been dug, in an effort to drain water, but farmers have to drive a long way around them to get to the fields they farm.  Empty farmhouses are often vandalized and have been burned down.

Jeff Biggers, author, and actor gave a program to the group at Hampton Inn following a dinner at Ruby Tuesdays in Litchfield Wednesday night. Biggers signed copies of his book, “Reckoning at Eagle Creek.” He has written a new book which is coming out in September, titled “State Out of the Union,” which he researched recently in Arizona. Biggers is also a writer for Huffington Post, and author of the book, “The United States of Appalachia.”

A Montgomery County farmer narrated a tour of Deer Run Mine area at Hillsboro on Thursday. The mine, and waste impoundment, with a high hazard dam, have been built within the city limit and within sight of Hillsboro Hospital, the prison, a nursing home, and meeting halls, as well as homes. CALM members told of permanent damage of farmland, water pollution, homes destroyed, IDNR favoring coal corporations over citizens rights, and the dragging out of law cases for years, which are some of the issues involved.