Jeanne Bassett, executive director of NMPIRG.

As I write this letter, the country is recovering from hurricane Katrina and trying to come to grips with the impact that will be felt in Louisiana, Mississippi and the entire gulf region for years to come.

The devastation to both human life and the landscape—and the frightening evidence that poor planning amplified both—call into question the federal government’s preparedness for natural disasters.

It also calls into question the effectiveness and security of America’s energy system.

Katrina exposed—for the second time in two years—the folly of relying on a massive, centralized system to supply America’s energy. Just as the failure of transmission lines in Ohio brought down the entire electric power grid in the eastern U.S. two years ago, Katrina struck at the heart of the massive web of drilling rigs, refineries, highways, electric generators, ships and pipelines that supply the U.S. with energy— triggering gasoline shortages across the entire country.

The long-term solution to the problem is obvious, if challenging. America needs to shift away from our over reliance on unstable and unsustainable sources of energy. How? By dramatically improving energy efficiency in homes, cars, appliances and businesses. By increasing the share of energy we get from renewable sources. And by generating more energy from clean, local sources like solar panels, right in our own backyards.

As Katrina reminded us, the time to start making those changes is now. Since the federal government has failed to react, it will depend on the states doing their part to help.

This summer Gov. Richardson committed to reduce New Mexico’s greenhouse gas emissions. (See story on page 4). New Mexico’s natural resources and the support of our residents,officials and businesses, have given us the momentum to lead the development of clean, renewable energy across the nation.

Now, by seizing that opportunity and developing renewable technologies, we can lead the way to a new energy economy.