For decades Minnesotans and Americans have been presented with either-or choices in our energy policy.

If you cared about the environment, they said you were against jobs. If you wanted fuel-efficient cars, they said you were against the free market. If you wanted to reduce our dependence on oil from Saudi Arabia, they said you were attacking an important ally.

These were always false choices, but now we suffer the consequences of the misguided energy choices made by our political leaders in Washington and their friends in the giant oil companies.

Families and businesses in Minnesota and across the nation have already had to contend with skyrocketing prices at the gas pump this year. We now face the prospect of record-high heating costs this winter.

The only big winners are the big oil corporations, with the top five raking in a staggering 33 billion dollars in profits during just the past three months. At a recent Senate hearing, the oil company executives were unapologetic, apparently satisfied to remain part of the problem rather than become part of the solution.

But America's growing dependence on foreign oil threatens our prosperity and national security. America now spends over 200,000 dollars per minute on imported oil. We can no longer continue down the same energy path that got us here.

Fortunately, a new energy path is already open to us. We are on the threshold of a far-reaching renewable energy revolution that will create new industries, generate new jobs, open up opportunities for our farmers, support a cleaner environment and safeguard our national security.

As a nation, we now have a historic opportunity to secure our energy freedom and opportunity. We can either seize the initiative or wait until crisis or catastrophe forces us to change.

Americans have always believed it is better to take bold action to make our own destiny. All we need is the determined, visionary leadership to insist that we pursue this opportunity. It is already within our reach.

The TV commercial tells us that BP no longer stands for British Petroleum, but Beyond Petroleum. What's "beyond" petroleum is as close as the nearest corn or soybean field in the Minnesota countryside, where we have started to transform America's agricultural abundance into renewable, affordable homegrown energy.

We will have a future of energy freedom and opportunity only if we insist on the right choices by our leaders in Washington.

- First, we should hold the big oil companies more accountable, including sanctions for price gouging and market manipulation. If they refuse to invest in renewable energy, they should pay into a strategic fund to support these investments and to provide relief to consumers struggling with high energy prices.

- We should take Minnesota's new 20 percent standard for ethanol content and extend it to the national level, while also supporting other biofuels.

- We should set a national standard that 20 percent of the electricity generated in 2020 comes from renewable sources like wind and solar, building on Minnesota's current standard that calls for utilities to supply 10 percent of their power from renewable sources.

- We should strengthen the incentives for both the manufacture and purchase of hybrid and flexible-fuel vehicles which are more efficient and rely on renewable fuels like ethanol. The federal government should lead the way by converting its cars and trucks by 2010.

- Finally, we should provide greater, more coordinated federal support to jump-start research and development on renewable energy. A good example is the University of Minnesota's Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, which sponsors dozens of projects ranging from basic research on hydrogen fuel cells to technology development for converting biomass plant material into fuels, plastics and fibers.

While this year's federal energy bill had some important provisions for renewable energy, the incentives for bold innovation remain very modest compared to the generous subsidies for business-as-usual.

Instead of sending our energy dollars to the cartels and royal families in the Mideast, we should be supporting our own farmers and businesses right here in the Midwest.

Americans do not like to shrink from a tough challenge or pass up a great opportunity. With a national commitment to innovation, we can turn our present energy challenges from a looming crisis into a great success story.

Minnesotans need to send a message to Washington: Stop the politics-as-usual and start making the forward-looking choices to deliver an energy future that frees us from foreign oil and ensures our prosperity.