Cleantech Appeals To Real Patriots

When I speak on the subject of renewable energy or sustainability more generally, I normally mention that making an investment in cleantech is among the most patriotic things that an American can do.  In particular, clean energy will be the defining industry in the 21st Century, and it hurts to see the U.S. sitting on the sidelines while China and dozens of other countries go roaring past us in the market space.  And even more important are the national security issues that include the costs, both financial and human, of running the world’s largest military, held in place largely to assure access to oil.

That’s why it’s so painful to see regressive steps being taken in various regions, like New Jersey’s ban on Tesla Motors’ selling its electric vehicles directly to customers in the state.  A senior industry analyst in the Automotive and Transportation Research Group at consulting and research giant Frost & Sullivan notes:

“This [the ban on Tesla] is a disturbing trend and deals a big blow to the future of automotive retailing. It also pushes the US behind the rest of the world. So far the resistance to Tesla and any kind of progressive thinking in auto sales had been relegated to the southern states. New Jersey’s decision could now influence states such as New York and Massachusetts, which have so far been more supportive of Tesla.”

I sure wish there were a way to get our leaders to cease making decisions that push our nation further behind the rest of the world; I would have thought we had enough problems without sabotage like this.