One of the most overlooked aspects of America’s dependence of fossil fuels is its effect on national security.

The world’s largest exporter of petroleum in the 1970’s, the U.S. has now become dependent on imports for 60% of its daily oil consumption. And this oil is being provided from some of the most politically unstable areas of the globe. Should the fragile stability in those areas collapse, the flow of oil to the U.S. could be shut off, causing both economic and security consequences.

The obvious solution? Energy independence. And the best way for America to achieve that would be improving the fuel efficiency of its transportation, and developing of America’s vast renewable alternative energy resources.

An alternative energy sufficient America would no longer be at the mercy of oil-rich governments when deciding its foreign policies.

And, on a more sinister note, an alternative energy sufficient America would be much less at risk for having its domestic energy supplies compromised by accidental or hostilely-induced failure.

Following the Great Northeast Blackout in the summer of 2003, a coalition of States Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) issued a white paper suggesting that local development of solar and wind alternative energy resources could have provided extra power to reduce the load on the grid system which failed.

The Atlantic County Utilities Authority of New Jersey, one of the states severely affected by the blackout, has decided to install both solar and wind-powered alternative energy backups at a waste-water treatment plant, to ensure its operation during future power outages.

And the Louisiana State Police, using alternative energy solar-powered lighting, were able, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, to perform some rescues, but on the whole, Americans were horrified by the conditions the lack of electricity exacerbated.

The U.S. electrical grid is so dependent, in fact, on natural-gas-fuelled generating plants, that declining natural gas supplies, or a terrorist attack on any of the major gas pipelines feeding the power plants, could have a devastating effect. The same applies to alternative energy power from our nuclear reactors.

America’s renewable alternative energy potential is the key to securing its future.