We applaud President Bush’s support of the development of alternative sources of energy to help relieve America’s “addiction” to oil.

While oil accounts for a relatively small portion of the mix of fuels used to generate electricity, every drop saved indeed makes America stronger and safer. As the president noted, much petroleum comes from politically unstable parts of the world. The major fuels used to generate power are chiefly domestic products — coal and natural gas — but, just the same, it makes sense to conserve those,too.

It’s too bad the president couldn’t have come to the Palmetto State. Here in South Carolina, we’re actually ahead of the curve on alternative energy. And it’s thanks to a joint effort by electric cooperatives around the state and Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility that generates most of the power that co-ops distribute on a not-for-profit basis to their members.

Since October 2004, Fairfield Electric Cooperative has offered its members the option to purchase electricity generated from renewable resources. Through the Green Power program, naturally occurring landfill gas is tapped as a fuel to generate electricity. This gas, containing methane, would otherwise need to be flared off to prevent it from entering the atmosphere. Instead, the gas helps light up South Carolina.

Just last month, Fairfield Electric Cooperative and Santee Cooper dedicated a third landfill generation facility. The Richland County landfill generation plant joins a similar facility in Lee County, which opened last year,and the first Green Power plant, which opened at the Horry County landfill in 2001. Other plants are scheduled to go on line in the future.

Fairfield Electric Cooperative is proud to offer its members the option to purchase Green Power. Like other forms of renewable energy, it costs more to use landfill gas as a fuel for power generation than traditional fuels like coal. That’s why Green Power costs more, and that’s why we only offer it as an optional, consumer-choice program. Making that choice, those who purchase Green Power help spur future alternative energy research and generation here.

The president would probably agree that South Carolina co-op members who purchase Green Power aren’t actually “green” when it comes to alternative energy. They’re really red, white and blue all the way.