Clean Energy for the Southwest

As an Arizonan, I can't help but to push for our state to jump on this opportunity, as it seems like the obvious place to brand itself as the solar energy capital of the country. With our state's budget deficit, we won't likely do what it takes, but I will gladly argue as to why we should. Here's the guest column/letter I just submitted to several of our regional newspapers:

Our country faces a dual crisis of unemployment and severe economic contraction, while at the same time seeking energy independence from foreign countries and mitigating the causes of global warming.

What better place than in the arid and sunny southwest to implement a new program of solar power generation and other clean energy technologies. Such a program is needed on a national level as well as within our state, and we need to act on this immediately.

The construction industry constitutes one of Arizona's largest employment sectors due to high historical growth. With businesses in this sector and related services suffering disproportionately more than others, our state faces a severe economic crisis. Add to that the anticipated declines in tourism, which comprise yet another substantial share of the state's economy, and things start to look even gloomier.

At the same time, Arizona is home to several electronics and semiconductor fabrication plants, with more planned in the near future. Not only are these facilities typically high-energy consumers, they also offer a spring board to bring in more high-tech outfits that can produce green technologies and better employment opportunities for our university graduates. Tucson is the Optics Valley; Phoenix is home to the Silicon Southwest; and several of our secondary markets boast military technology companies as local businesses.

So why not turn Arizona into the Solar State, or the Green Desert State, or something like it. If we don't, New Mexico and California most certainly will take this opportunity. Remember, they are suffering with us and they tend to be more proactive in seeking new businesses. Now is the time, more than ever, for Arizonans to step up and make this happen.