The Politics of Fossil Fuels: Obstacles to Wind Energy Development in Kansas

By Dr. Gary Brinker

Coal and oil have always been the life-blood of the industrial economy.  Historically, these energy resources had been so plentiful that, until the latter part of the 20^th century, few believed that we could exhaust their supply.  And although the chronic negative health effects from inhaling coal dust and the exhaust of burning fossil fuels were recognized early in the industrial era, the full extent of the threat to human health and survival has only recently been realized and acknowledged.  The most recent threat to the global ecology in the form of global climate change has energized a social movement to convert energy production to non-fossil sources deemed more environmentally friendly and biologically benign, such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal and bio-fuels. … Continue Reading

Electric Utilities Could Determine the Success of the Renewable Energy Industry

By Bradford Pete-Hill

In the last decade, the advancement of the renewable energy industry in the United States has depended primarily on the efforts of product manufacturers and environmental groups. They have used in-house marketing and outreach programs to gain the public’s interest in renewable energy and to explain the benefits of clean technologies. However, in order for the renewable energy industry to further its market expansion in the U.S., it should transition from self-promoting programs to those that employ and rely on state and regional electric utility¹ companies for more substantial growth.

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