Getting educated about energy

Recently, the results of a poll from The New York Times, Stanford University and the nonpartisan environmental research group Resources for the Future were splashed across newspapers all over the country. One of the key takeaways? Issues related to our country’s energy future are of great concern to the Hispanic population, and our community’s voice will be of increasing importance looking ahead to the 2016 presidential campaign. 

These findings underscore that our community has a key role to play in helping to shape our country’s energy future. This is why I am looking forward to joining other minority leaders and key stakeholders at the 2015 Energy Policy Summit being hosted by the American Association of Blacks in Energy and Hispanics in Energy in Washington, D.C. this week to discuss the energy policies impacting minority communities. Through forums like these, minority stakeholder organizations can become better informed about the energy policies that have a real impact on their lives, and ensure our view is heard by policymakers at a national and state level.  

{mosads}Energy is an essential part of our lives, and choosing to get educated and to participate in an active discussion on the issues is critically important.  

While you might not give it much thought, we all rely on energy every day. Access to reliable and affordable electricity is essential to growing our economy and for the livelihood of communities everywhere. I’m proud to note that the Hispanic community has made great strides here in recent years. Hispanic-Americans own more than 3.2 million businesses in the U.S., which contribute more than $468 million to the country’s economy each year. The poverty rate among Hispanics in the U.S. has been on the decline, dropping from 25.6 percent in 2012 to 23.5 percent in 2013. So many in our community have achieved and are living the American dream, and we know that even more success is yet to come.   

Unfortunately, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2012, the bottom fifth of income earners spent nearly 33 percent more of their budget on energy costs than average. If this number were to increase, then these families would be stretched even further, threatening their ability to also achieve the American dream, be it boosting their savings or starting a business. Keeping energy prices manageable remains a key pillar in encouraging minority advancement.  

Given the importance of affordable energy and the fact that some Americans are already stretched thin in this regard, we must do everything we can to ensure that energy policies remain fair and equitable for all customers in all communities. For example, policies that result in a cross-subsidization only raise a fundamental question of fairness. It isn’t enough to say we’re becoming greener if it creates a gap between those who can and those who can’t afford cleaner energy. A smarter approach is to get the economics and the priorities in sync so that all Americans can participate and benefit fairly from all sources of electricity. 

Educating all constituencies about our America’s evolving energy and environmental policies is something we can all support. That is the best way to ensure a bright energy future for all Americans.

Salazar was secretary of the Interior from 2009 to 2013 and a democratic senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009.