LOCAL COLUMN
OPINION: Clean energy is the next mission for veterans
As a veteran, I was intrigued to learn recently that the SunZia Wind Project, New Mexico鈥檚 massive new wind farm, has been endorsed by Common Defense, a major veterans organization. SunZia, with more than 900 wind turbines, is the largest wind project in all of North and South America, supplying 3.5 gigawatts of clean energy to New Mexico, Arizona and California.
So why is SunZia a veterans issue? First, I鈥檝e learned that much of the technology used in producing clean energy was first developed for military use, and veterans have been able to bring special expertise to the creation of renewable energy projects. And second, many veterans were employed in the construction of SunZia鈥檚 turbines and transmission lines and will be employed in their operation and maintenance.
But third, and potentially most important, renewable energy can help make the U.S. energy independent, enhancing our national security and reducing the risk of the 鈥渇orever wars鈥� so opposed by military vets. We need only look at gas prices today to realize the tight relationship between fossil fuel and foreign conflict.
For these reasons, Common Defense has begun a program, Veterans Power America (VPA), to advocate for clean energy projects, with an emphasis on 鈥渏ob creation, community empowerment, and national security.鈥�
As VPA鈥檚 director, Army veteran Lakiesha Lloyd, has said, 鈥淭he clean energy industry gives veterans a new mission: powering America鈥檚 economy and strengthening our nation鈥檚 energy independence. At a time when veterans and their families across the country are feeling the squeeze from rising costs and shrinking opportunities, clean energy is a jobs plan, an economic driver, a security strategy, and a lifeline for communities nationwide.鈥�
I鈥檝e also learned that this spring, Veterans Power America joined the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy, the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations in providing support and testimony at a hearing for the Globemallow Solar Project, a proposed 349-megawatt solar array and battery storage facility in Santa Fe County.
Renewable energy isn鈥檛 a partisan issue. It鈥檚 an American issue, a patriotic issue, that vets can get behind. I鈥檓 proud to be one of them.
Kenneth W. Davis is an author and retired professor who has taught at the University of Kentucky, Indiana University and the University of New Mexico. He served in the U.S. Army, as a sergeant, during the Vietnam War. He lives in Rio Rancho.
