Recent passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 20091 provides significantly increased funding for renewable energy industries that are expected to increasingly supplant the traditional fossil fuel energy industries of coal, oil, and natural gas.
Although fossil fuel energy has historically been priced lower than renewable energy, hidden costs to energy production have not been fully included or internalized in the market price of fuel, thereby distorting true costs. These additional costs are known as externalities of energy. One such externality of energy is adverse effects on human health.