ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the intersection of energy and environment to offer insights and options for local governments across the United States. It provides an overview of the state of energy usage and energy sources in the United States. The chapter explores clean energy, and deals with an example of these topics in practice in Portland, Oregon. The support for alternative energy sources is generally shared across the political and economic spectrum in the United States. For some Americans, the price of operating their private vehicles to simply get to work has become high enough to cause economic concerns or hardships. Economic, political, and environmental problems are all present in the use of petroleum products for energy. Prior to devastating earthquake tsunami and subsequent nuclear catastrophe at the Fukushima Nuclear plant in Japan, nuclear power was viewed as a potentially viable and popular option to provide cleaner energy to the United States.
