Posts Tagged ‘Wind power’
S.C. Media Glossing Over Hydrogen Realities
Much of the South Carolina media seems reluctant to pull back the curtain on the realities associated with government-funded hydrogen transportation research.
The Obama administration has expressed grave doubts about the viability of hydrogen transportation, but that hasn’t kept the South Carolina media from hyping the concept like it’s a no-brainer solution to our nation’s energy concerns.
Take a story that appeared in The Charleston Post and Courier this past weekend. The piece provided a decidedly uncritical look at the tens of millions in tax dollars that have been invested in hydrogen research in South Carolina, even though there’s been little return on that investment.
Highlights from the story:
State taxpayers have chipped in $12.3 million to hydrogen fuel cell efforts, while federal, municipal and private sources have invested an additional $115 million in South Carolina, said Shannon Baxter-Clemmons, executive director of the S.C. Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance.
Using Taxpayers’ Dollars to Convince Them What They Need
The South Carolina Energy Office has been awarded $109,000 by the federal government to help generate market acceptance for offshore wind energy development in South Carolina and Georgia.
The SC Energy Office will collaborate with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, utilities and other in-state partners, according to a press release.
“The project will focus specifically on an outreach effort educating the public on wind energy potential. It will also provide technical assistance on wind policy options, aid economic development efforts and encourage collaboration between state and regional partners, utilities and trade associations,” according to the release.
“State and federal officials believe that a concerted, multi-faceted effort from various statewide stakeholders will be necessary to obtain public support for offshore wind energy development along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia,” it added.
One has to be just a little wary when government officials admit “a concerted, multi-faceted effort from various statewide stakeholders will be necessary to obtain public support” for any program.
