Sandra M. Mazo-Nix: Fossil-fuel subsidies

Ned Barnett’s Oct. 11column “N.C. lets sun set on solar tax credit” showed the hypocrisy exhibited by lawmakers when it comes to promoting the generation and use of a specific type of energy.

In the case of letting the solar tax credit expire, state lawmakers believe that this industry is mature enough to stand on its own. If that is the case, then why does the fossil-fuel industry still receive subsidies from the government? Hasn’t the fossil-fuel industry matured enough to stand on its own after centuries of the extraction and commercialization of fossil fuels?

Solar energy, and any of the other renewable energies, needs more incentives so it can compete with fossil fuels. I strongly support a carbon tax on fossil fuels so the playing ground is more level and the state can gain the benefits of the expansion of the renewable energy industry.

As has been shown already in North Carolina, the solar energy industry generates jobs and benefits to the rural community. We can advance more sustainably as a society if we encourage the energies that are renewable and cleaner instead of energies that pollute our environment and threaten our health.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Sandra M. Mazo-Nix: Fossil-fuel subsidies."