Basinger letter: Clean energy

Idahoans have more common values and goals than we might think after the recent election. Even insults can educate us. We want honest leaders who work with integrity for their constituents rather than moneyed interests. Our discussions and disagreements must be around a set of agreed-upon facts: democracy doesn’t function where fake news and alternate views of reality predominate.

Many feel the urban areas are moving ahead and leaving rural America behind. Boise is booming, but what about our rural communities? Post-election, many people are worried about progress on climate change and preserving Idaho’s environment. A response to both these concerns is to support clean, locally produced energy and modern infrastructure. Sen. Mike Crapo is sponsoring a bill to improve railway access for agriculture products, which will bring jobs to southeastern Idaho and help our farmers. We can build a better electrical grid to use more Idaho-produced wind, solar, and geothermal energy. Smart policies, such as revenue-neutral carbon pricing, can make it more viable for individual farmers and homeowners to generate their own renewable power. Rural Idaho is full of clean energy resources, as well as great people who deserve to be part of a prosperous future.

This story was originally published January 7, 2017 at 11:42 PM with the headline "Basinger letter: Clean energy."