Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to questions I'm often asked. I'll keep this page updated as certain questions become more frequent.
Q: What party do you belong to and why?
A: I'm a proud Democrat. I realize that there are problems on both sides of
the political aisle, but it's become apparent to most of us that the
Republicans have become the party of corporate America and the
Democratic party is more representative of the interests of our
working families.
Q: If incentive programs already
exist to help utility companies afford the switch to renewable
energies, why are they not taking advantage of them?
A: To a small extent, they do. However, participation in these
programs is limited. While this would be a question better addressed
to Rep. Soderberg, my answer would be to follow the money. Among
Chuck Soderberg's top
20 contributors is Basin Electric Power Cooperative. Basin
Electric Power Cooperative is the parent company of Chuck
Soderberg's employer, NIPCO and also owns the
Dakota Coal company. One can see how they would want their man
in the House of Representatives to protect their coal mining profits
by refusing to vote for green legislation.
Q: Can you explain
EXACTLY what your stance on global warming and corn ethanol is? You
seem to be in favor of it, while it's been established to be
relatively harmful to the environment.
A: As far as corn ethanol goes, the problems we are having are
already being addressed. The high cost of corn is requiring ethanol
producers to look for another source. Cellulosic seems to be the
direction they are heading and I'm a huge proponent of that. Much
more so than corn or other food-based sources. Animal fat is another
potential source that is being explored. People tend to forget that
air pollution also comes from burning ethanol, so it's really only a
small step in getting us to lower our use of foreign oil. We must
always remember that reducing our dependency on foreign oil is a
national security issue as well as an environmental one. Another
problem is the amount of fresh water required to make ethanol. That
MUST be addressed. As far as being harmful to the environment, we
also have to factor in the alternative. i.e.: Are these alternative
energies better or worse for the environment/economy than petroleum
and coal? My feeling is that renewable energy sources and bio-fuels
are a much wiser choice than the outdated technologies of coal and
petroleum when you factor in the cost to public health, environment,
and national security.
Q: What about corn
industry subsidies? Do you believe that corn farmers deserve the tax
dollars of other citizens?
A: I support subsidies for small farmers, not already
highly-profitable agribusiness mega-corporations. And there's
something else to that: Some of our set-aside programs exist
specifically to raise the price of agricultural products. With corn
going over $5.00 a bushel, that's no longer necessary. I'd like to
see those funds diverted to expand programs that help utility companies
foot the bill for the innovation away from coal and towards wind
energy.
It's important for a legislator to never forget that they are
never spending state money but rather they are spending
other people's money. I believe that farmers deserve subsidies
only in that it has to actually provide a benefit for the community
as a whole and not just one person's pocket-book. Something else we
need to remember: Sometimes we pay farmers not to farm for
environmental reasons like soil and ecosystem
preservation. I support that over simply telling a farmer what he
can and cannot do with his land.
I don't claim to have all of the answers or to be an expert, but I
have been speaking with those who are and will continue to do so.
Both producers and consumers. As an example: The same week that Time
Magazine came out with their "Biofuel Myth" cover story, I spoke
with an ethanol producer who explained to me how all of the problems
in that article were already being addressed and were well on their
way to being solved.
