Daryl Hannah, an actress and environmental advocate, and Diane Moss, founder of the Renewables 100 Policy Institute and an independent energy policy consultant, write in the Wall St. Journal that “the U.S. federal government is failing its citizens by not developing a comprehensive energy policy that ensures secure, economical and reliable energy over the long term. But while our federal officials flounder in fear and partisan dysfunction, local leaders across the political spectrum are taking on the challenge, breaking dependence on conventional energy sources, and liberating their communities with efficiency and renewable energy technologies.”  

“States like California and Maine have passed laws limiting the building of new coal plants, while cities like Los Angeles and Dallas have joined many others to pass moratoria and bans on fracking. No one knows how to safely store nuclear waste, which coupled with the staggering costs of building new reactors and fixing old ones, is also forcing a decline in nuclear power.”  

The piece concludes: “As fossil and nuclear resources inevitably wane, along with the jobs they create, and as their costs and devastating environmental impacts rise, this trend will grow.”