National security, conservation groups call for energy independence

**WASHINGTON** — National security experts and conservation advocates gathered in Washington, D.C., this week for a roundtable hosted by the group Elected Officials to Protect America to urge a shift toward energy independence.

Participants argued that reliance on foreign oil contributes to international conflict, instability, and elevated fuel prices in California and across the United States.

Yetide Badaki, an actress from Nigeria, spoke at the event, arguing that continued reliance on fossil fuels exacerbates pollution and geopolitical tension.

“Policies that double down on fossil fuels do not save money,” Badaki contended. “They hike costs, trash our public health, and destabilize nations. Everyday people pay the price at the pump on their utility bills and in the air that they breathe.”

Badaki cited the ongoing war involving Iran, which Pentagon estimates indicate has cost between $38 billion and $42 billion thus far. Foreign policy experts noted that the conflict has provided Iran with leverage to disrupt energy and fertilizer supplies in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump has maintained that the military action is necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Paul Foster, a member of Parliament in the United Kingdom and a veteran of the Iraq War, highlighted the conflict in Ukraine, noting that Russian attacks on Ukrainian oil and gas pipelines have prompted Kyiv to pursue a transition to 100% renewable energy.

“Every wind turbine erected, every solar panel array deployed is a direct strike against the geopolitical leverage of hostile regimes. Unlike gas, nobody can ration the wind. Nobody can turn off the sun,” Foster said.

Alex Cornell du Houx, cofounder and president of Elected Officials to Protect America, a Marine Corps combat veteran and former Maine State Representative, asserted that the U.S. should develop a grid powered by distributed clean energy, noting declining technology costs.

“Batteries went down 45% in cost last year. That’s 93% since 2010. Solar has decreased in cost from over $100 a watt to less than ten cents a watt now,” Cornell du Houx stated. Data regarding the decreasing costs of battery storage and renewable technologies are supported by the International Renewable Energy Agency and various industry groups.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has pursued its own approach to energy independence, taking measures to halt offshore wind projects—including several off the coast of California—while opening additional areas for fossil fuel leasing and drilling.

Article and image source: iraqsun.com