Save the dams now

The energy situation in America and around the world is in flux.

Oil prices are rising and may reach historic highs. International demand and international unrest may push the price of crude to new levels, suffocating the economy.

A recent report indicates that the number of spills, fires and incidents in the United States related to refining and transporting oil is unknown. Yet, it is estimated that 650 million barrels of oil are spilled, lost or accidentally burned each year. That is far worse than the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.

The nuclear crisis in Japan is not over. Already the crisis is classified as a situation “seven.” That ranks along with the Russian crisis at Chernobyl, and the volume of released radioactivity is building.

All the while, natural gas pipelines explode around the nation. Billions of dollars for replacement pipes will be needed to bring the delivery of this power source to a safe, efficient level. Older urban areas reportedly have natural gas infrastructure that dates to the 1800s.

Environmentally, coal is a questionable power source for the future.

The answer, we are told, lies in new technology. Both solar power and wind power are touted as the energy sources of the future. Billions of dollars are being pumped into research and development in these industries, and billions more are subsidizing sun and wind farms.

The real value of these new technologies is yet to be proven, and the older technologies they can supplant is still unknown.

Then there is hydropower. Hydropower is the forgotten power source and is barely respectable enough to be recognized in the power hierarchy. It is the pair of old brown shoes in the energy world.

Still, hydro is renewable, it is clean and it is effective. It is also inexpensive. With updates, hydroelectric dams could produce even more energy and become more environmentally friendly. There are times when dams generate so much electricity that it exceeds the needs of the areas they serve, thus supplying surplus power to areas without the benefit of hydropower.

In the search for energy self-sufficiency, the new and shiniest alternatives are getting all the attention, but if hydroelectric power is forsaken or ignored, the energy problems in the United States will only worsen.

Hydropower may not be the glitziest energy source, but it may be America’s ace in the hole for upcoming energy needs.

This is the time to espouse its value and secure its place in America’s future. Eventually, the energy front will quiet, and the dams will once again become targets for removal. This would be a disastrous mistake.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher