MUNSTER | A coalition of business owners and entrepreneurs is continuing to push for federal clean energy legislation in hope of boosting Indiana’s economy and cleaning up the environment.

Members of Indiana Businesses for a Clean Energy Economy spoke to The Times’ Editorial Board on Tuesday to outline local renewable initiatives and to say they are continuing to prod Indiana Sens. Dick Lugar, a Republican, and Evan Bayh, a Democrat, to support federal climate change legislation. The organization was formed last year.

However, region resident Mark Rudd has chosen not to wait for Congress to pass bills before working on sustainable energy projects. As president of Rudd Asset Management in Valparaiso, he’s helping build or implement renewable energy generation systems in Indiana and New Jersey and leads energy-efficiency efforts at power plants.

Rudd said Americans have typically been blind to energy-generation resources available in the country such as wood waste, landfill gas or natural gas. But if current trends continue, he said energy costs in Indiana and the nation will increase whether green energy efforts are implemented or not.

“If you think the cost of energy is too high, try (having) an energy shortage,” Rudd said.

No one power generation source will be the answer to America’s need for energy, but instead a “quilt” of different sources such as wind, solar and hydropower will help lessen the need for oil from foreign countries, Rudd said.

Raymond Kasmark, business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 697, said creating sound public policies can drive consumer demand and private investment in renewable energy development. But he also said climate change rules need to be adopted globally to not put domestic energy producers at a competitive disadvantage.

On a local level, Tracy Hall, a Local 697 electrician and president of Sunwired LLC, conceded one problem homeowners have with going green is the worry about the high expense of buying and installing equipment.

Hall, who installs photovoltaic systems, said money spent on switching from incandescent lightbulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs among other repairs can pay dividends long term and reduce a homeowner’s energy footprint.

Homeowners aren’t the only ones who need to be educated on green technologies, Hall said. He said efforts need to continue to educate municipal and state officials to create policies that spur renewable energy development.

http://nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/article_e4a9d70f-ef48-57af-bec3-f6d705c87917.html

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