NATURAL GAS VS. NEW ENERGY

Natural Gas isn’t a Bridge Fuel, it’s a Gateway Drug

John Farrell, January 30, 2014 (Institute for Local Self Reliance/Energy)

“In his State of the Union, President Obama added to the conventional wisdom that supplanting coal with natural gas will act as a bridge toward a climate solution…Unfortunately, gas is more of a gateway drug than a bridge to a clean energy future…1) It’s still a major greenhouse gas. Sure, natural gas is cleaner than coal, but that’s setting a pretty low bar…2) Gas for electricity competes with gas for heating (and gas for transportation)… 3) In electricity and transportation, we have much cleaner options. If you want a cleaner way to heat your home than natural gas, you’re going to have to pay a lot more. Solar hot water, geothermal, and other renewable options are not yet cost competitive…But in the electricity market, renewables are more cost-effective than natural gas… 4) Building natural gas infrastructure chains us to a carbon-based energy future for 50 years…” click here for more

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