The Federal Governments Initiatives to Implement Renewable Energy
Currently the federal government uses fossil fuels as their main source of energy, but the efforts to implement alternative sources are steadily rising. These types of energies are referred to as renewable meaning they are generated by fuel sources that restore themselves over a short period of time and do not diminish. Some examples of renewable energy include wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and etc. The three major fossil fuels used in the United States are petroleum, natural gas, and coal and they accounted for most of the nation's energy production in 2014. An article from the U.S. Energy Information Administration provides that usage of energy as the following – natural gas 31%, petroleum 26%, coal 24%, renewable energy 11%, and nuclear electric power 9%. The EPA states, “renewables are considered environmentally preferable to conventional sources and, when replacing fossil fuels, have significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” There are several impediments that prevent the federal government from fully transitioning to the use renewable energy sources but the core reason is due to the price. Rich Smith from Daily Finance states, “When it comes
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The Associated Press reports, “President Barack Obama is ordering the federal government to nearly triple its use of renewable sources for electricity by 2020.” There are development programs such as the SunShot Initiative, that has been funded 60 million for solar energy research through the Department of Energy. Moore and Nava argue that, “Since 1973, U.S. government agencies have spent $154.7 billion on “renewable energy” with very little to show for it. Billions of dollars in subsidies later, solar still only comprises at most 0.2 percent of U.S. electricity production according to the Energy Information