Is this the new gold rush out west? People are staking claims to large stretches of the west coast, with plans to harness ocean energy in the form of waves and tides. This is good, right? Energy produced without making CO2. But wait, is there anybody planning the future, figuring out what parts of the ocean are good for energy, and where we should reserve the ocean for other things? No, not yet.
We'd better watch out, or we'll get another mess like western water laws, the crazy quilt claims for using river water that make no sense and harm conservation efforts.
Wave energy makes sense, but we need to decide where to put these things. Otherwise, we'll be sorry when we figure out we put some in the wrong places. Tweet
1 comment:
Mark--I've been missing your blog while trying feverishly to keep mine up-to-date. Presently there's an application for permit to conduct a feasibility study for wave and wind farming off the Gray's Harbor coast. I know that in the scheme of things, people will poo-poo the notion of surfing as anything more than a trivial pursuit when compared to the availability of an apparently carbon-neutral and never diminishing source of electricity. But this proposal will eliminate Westport, Washington as a surfing destination. See my post here:
http://threetreejournal.blogspot.com/2007/12/not-in-my-backyard.html
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