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When will Rep. Devin Nunes figure out fossil fuels are yesterday’s power?

A 366-kilowatt solar array at Hester Orchards in Farmersville is among the projects installed by Visalia-based CalCom Solar. The solar company ranked third on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies based on its revenue growth from 2012 to 2015.
A 366-kilowatt solar array at Hester Orchards in Farmersville is among the projects installed by Visalia-based CalCom Solar. The solar company ranked third on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies based on its revenue growth from 2012 to 2015. / CalCom Solar

In his latest email to constituents, Congressman Devin Nunes congratulates President Trump for opening up offshore oil drilling. He says this will “relieve our dependence on hostile and unstable energy suppliers, create jobs, and strengthen America’s international influence.”

I wonder if Nunes and Trump realize that according to the 2016 U.S. Department of Energy report, solar energy employed more people than the coal, gas, and oil combined. Within the Electric Power Generation sector, solar employed 43 percent of the sector’s workforce, while fossil fuels combined employed just 22 percent of the workforce.

Meanwhile in China, the government energy agency announced in January that it intended to spend $360 billion on solar and wind energy through 2020.

Renewable, clean energy is the energy of the future. Our political leaders need to get on board with this concept, or get left behind in the international race for innovative and job-creating energy sources.

Pete Moe, Clovis

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 12:02 PM with the headline "When will Rep. Devin Nunes figure out fossil fuels are yesterday’s power?."

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