Published: October 24, 2008 11:38 pm      

The Muskogee Phoenix on energy efficiency:

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy released its report and Oklahoma ranked No. 43 in promoting energy efficiency as a way “to boost the economy, meet electricity demands, combat global warming and contribute to the nation’s security.”

The days of cheap energy are long over, and in the 21st century, finding ways of powering expanding technology and travel with limited resources and limited environmental effects will be the task.

We’ve known that for some time, and unfortunately, Oklahoma leaders seem not to have gotten the word. Oklahoma scored only a total of 5.5 points out of 50 in five areas — efficiency programs and policies, transportation and land-use policies, appliance standards, energy efficiency in public buildings and research, development and deployment.

But the good news is that we can catch up quickly. Many efficiency programs are relatively easy and profitable to implement.

And don’t forget, energy in the 21st century is a wide open field, limited only by our imagination. Let’s start using our imagination.