Rhode Islanders spend roughly $3Billion dollars each and every year in fossil fuel energy use. Every time we fill up the gas tank, or the oil tank, we are sending our hard earned money out of Rhode Island and in many cases out of the United States. We can change that. First, we must recognize that Rhode Island can be an energy leader - a model for all the other states. Solar canopies on retail spaces, large expansive parking lots on school grounds, brown fields and other disturbed lands can provide energy for thousands of homes efficiently and cheaply. Jobs are created to install and maintain those facilities. And those businesses who make the switch reap the financial rewards of producing their own energy. It takes a leader to make this a reality. Our current leadership does little to make this happen in Rhode Island. They are more inclined to keep business as usual and to keep you in the dark.