Energy sources are the center of political debates at state and local levels of government. When communities, organizations, and political entities give their opinions, there will be issues arising from many directions. Choosing the most appropriate energy source, in terms of sustainability, cost efficiency, and economic prosperity is a complex task. Choosing what to incentivize and what to get away from is a more realistic approach. For the state of Colorado and communities like Fort Collins, continuing a minimum standard of solar energy and a plan of expansion in the future is a step in the right direction. Forms of energy generation that are economically efficient like coal-burning and fracturing lack …show more content…
Not only are the trains coal powered, they also create traffic in peak times and indirectly cause extra greenhouse gas emissions through stopped vehicles. New ideas have come about in order to avoid the trains passing as often as they do now. “OmniTRAX, a Denver-based company that manages Great Western Railway, is working to restore an inactive railway from Windsor to Greeley” (De La Rosa). The reroute is mainly due to the traffic and a bad image the train portrays for the city of Fort Collins. Nonetheless, the train passing less and therefore allowing traffic flow through with more ease will make a smaller carbon footprint. These are just small changes that Great Western Railway has to make in order to avoid the fact that it is a big coal-burning issue. Making the train run with renewable energy sources at this point in time would be very unrealistic and challenging for the companies, too expensive that it would be preferred to not have an incentive to change to renewable sources. Due to political party affiliation, environment concerns, and relative interests, disputes come about for standard minimums of renewable …show more content…
Cost, decreases in sales by electric monopolies, and mismanagement of funds do not out-way the benefits in using solar sources. The potential good from solar production is becoming easier and less expensive to make a reality. Continuing to incentivize minimum standards in Fort Collins will push the local community to invest in solar energy. The job market for skilled labor in the solar energy sector would increase allowing locals to engage in jobs they qualify for. Cost inefficiencies would decrease with a push on solar energy over time as well. The increase in production of solar energy would allow it to be the renewable resource that Fort Collins has been looking