There was an article in the Arkansas section of Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The article, titled "New Alternative-energy panel has some gaps," fills readers in on what's happening with the newly created commission, created under Act 1301. The purpose of the commission is to explore alternative energy sources in Arkansas (solar, wind, biomass, and other alternative energy sources), and examine the possible economic impact from using alternative energy sources. The commission is only authorized to study this issue in Arkansas, and the commission has not other authority. There is already trouble with the commission, though. Three of the 15 members have not been appointed yet (members are not government employees), there is no allocated budget for the commission, and there are no established deadlines for the commission.

All of this being said, the current members on the commission met for the first time this week to get started. This was on their own time and money. This is definitely an improvement over not having an alternative energy commission, but the state needs to do more. The article mentions that some of these issues could be settled in the next legislative session starting on February 8, 2010. Alternative energy is something that Arkansas needs to give a second consideration. I think the majority of people think Arkansas is not well suited for alternative energy, but I have noticed several recent articles bringing this view into question. At least Arkansas seems to be taking the first steps toward a sustainable future.