Here’s an interesting piece of history. The first photovoltaic cells were invented at Bell Laboratories in the early 1950s (research subsidized by federal grants). In the 1970s, the United States was implementing this technology to become the world’s manufacturing leader of solar panels (again subsidized by federal grants). But who is the world’s manufacturing leader of solar panels today? China!

This short-sightedness plays out repeatedly. The United States invents new technologies, but it is other countries who mass manufacture them. Think semiconductors, personal computers, smartphones, LCD displays, etc. We don’t support the initial start-up production of our own inventions.

Unfortunately, this seems to be happening again. The Inflation Reduction Act supplied new funds to support solar, wind, and geothermal production. Many innovative projects got started and were on their way to providing new jobs and needed energy production. But the Big Beautiful Bill eliminated most of this support and today there are many energy projects that were near completion but are now stalled and going nowhere.

This is so short-sighted. Solar, wind, and nuclear energy production is a needed piece of our future, regardless of what you might believe about human-caused climate change. So why are we still subsiding in coal, oil, and gas production to the tune of $34.8 billion a year and starving nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal start-ups? Please contact your legislators and ask them to support these new energy sectors with as many dollars as we use to support fossil fuel-based energy production.

Brian Singer-Towns, Winona