The hidden costs

Part of the "Circle of Green" that Thomas Granville wrote about recently (May 17 Forum) is creating economic incentives to go greener. The American Clean Energy and Security bill does just that. Once enacted, ACES will create an economic market where reducing waste means that companies and individuals can save incredible amounts of money.

One of the problems of our current economy is that the real costs of burning fossil fuels are hidden or subsidized. The economic term for this is "externalized" -- which means that polluters do not pay for the many problems their pollution creates. We, the American people, do.

Although many environmental groups think this bill does not go far enough, I believe it is a great first step toward establishing an economic system that reflects the true costs of how we do business with each other. Only when we have an accurate dollars-and-cents accounting of what our addiction to fossil fuels is costing us will we have the knowledge and motivation to move past them. Only then will the virtuous circle of green grow as wide as it must.

I encourage everyone who wants to move into a cleaner, greener future to contact their congressional representatives to express their support for a strong, science-based version of ACES. The sooner it becomes law, the sooner the economy will shift to reflect the reality of our situation.

MEGAN DIETZ
Mount Oliver