Happy St. Patrick's Day, Now Let's Go Green!
11:06AM on March 17 2010
As you all know by now, my top priority if I am elected Governor will be to create good-paying jobs for more Oklahomans.
I thought St. Patrick’s Day would be the perfect opportunity to tell you how our state can benefit from a green economy.
You see, in Oklahoma, we have plentiful natural resources including water, oil and natural gas, but we have plenty of wind and sunshine, too. In fact, the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles are among the best sources of wind energy on the planet. As Governor, I will work to maintain Oklahoma’s status as a leader in the energy industry, by taking full advantage of the opportunities the new energy frontier has to offer.
In addition to wind, the next decade promises the increased utilization of things like solar power and biomass. These industries will create engineering and manufacturing jobs, and I will position Oklahoma on the leading edge of this new frontier.
We should also train workers for new energy jobs through our world-class career technology system and our higher education institutions, and we should make that training and education accessible, available and affordable for everyone. A workforce equipped to meet the needs of the energy industry will expand the industry. We must make sure we have a pool of well-trained workers to meet the industry’s needs. If we do that, the companies will come, and they will bring with them an abundance of good-paying jobs for our citizens.
There are some things we should do to ensure that Oklahoma’s traditional energy industries remain strong too. Those who say we should choose between more drilling or more renewable energy are completely wrong in my view.
As Governor, I will help establish an infrastructure that is equipped to handle the energy future. CNG filling stations should be accessible, and we should provide incentives to make natural gas vehicles a realistic option for consumers. And the state should lead the charge to utilize this vital, clean, cost efficient natural resource by converting the state vehicle fleet to CNG ready. We should implement incentives for Oklahoma businesses and homeowners to do the same.
Natural Gas is clean, cost-effective and available in abundance in Oklahoma. We should lead the nation in terms of CNG availability, just as we are a national leader in its production.
I am committed, to expanding our traditional energy industry and leading the way in renewable energy industry growth. A greener Oklahoma will create good-paying jobs for more Oklahomans, and that will be my first order of business.
If this is a goal you can support, I hope you will consider investing some green of your own. Any contribution, whether it be $25 or $2,500 will help us get our message out and help us win in July and November. Please click here to make a contribution today, or you can mail a check to: Edmondson 2010, P.O. Box 18922, Oklahoma City, OK 73154.
In the meantime, thank you for your friendship and your support. Please continue to help spread the word about my positive vision for a greener, more prosperous Oklahoma.
