InfiniteState t1_iul6atk wrote
Reply to comment by modernhomeowner in Eversource CEO asks Biden to take emergency action on New England natural gas supply by OmarLittleFinger
The article is about natural gas, not gasoline. Saving on gasoline won’t help us this winter.
It’s also not that dire. They’re talking about if we get a very cold winter and have severe shortages on imported natural gas, then we should be ready to take reasonable steps like suspending the Jones act to allow non-US ships to transport gas between US ports.
There’s no cause to reduce speed limits which would cripple Boston’s already terrible traffic.
Kodiak01 t1_iumktcm wrote
The natural gas shortage in New England is due to the NIMBYs killing pipeline projects more than anything.
InfiniteState t1_iumvrem wrote
Not just the pipeline. NIMBYs also killed Cape Wind, the grid connection to hydro in Canada, the Pilgrim nuclear power station, ... We've lost countless opportunities to diversify our grid and generation sources.
closerocks t1_iunswry wrote
Killing the natural gas pipeline in a good way to reduce future use of natural gas. If we had a pipeline in place, the powers that make a profit off of the operation of said pipeline would insist on keeping it in operation. The same forces that keep the pipeline open would fight tooth and nail to keep using natural gas for heating and cooking in residential and commercial properties.
If instead, we shifted everybody off of natural gas for heating and onto heat pumps, we would free up a tremendous amount of natural gas for electrical power generation plants where it would be much more efficiently burned. Moving away from natural gas in the home would significantly reduce the amount of leaks of natural gas from the pipeline under our streets.
The gas utilities would still bitch about losing residential customers but fark them.
buried_lede t1_ix1sj2o wrote
They wanted us to pay for the pipeline too - all costs passed onto consumers, for an energy source we are trying to get away from in part. I think we will need it for quite some time but we are overly dependant on it. And don't forget who fought solar and even wind, at first, - NOT THE NIMBYs - the pipeline people, the utilities and even the folks at ISO NE
PakkyT t1_iumcw8l wrote
>The article is about natural gas, not gasoline. Saving on gasoline won’t help us this winter.
True but keep in mind that about 1/4 of Massachusetts homes heat with oil rather than gas or electricity or other means, so heating oil (diesel fuel) and gasoline prices tend to go hand in hand as they are refined from the same source. But yes, getting a little off the topic of Natural Gas supplies.
modernhomeowner t1_iuluuku wrote
Several of our powerplants can be transitioned between natural gas and oil. If oil were cheap enough and enough supply, we could use this for power. That was where I was going on gasoline. But overall, we could easily use to decrease our consumption to save energy.
InfiniteState t1_iumdjs6 wrote
What?
Even if moving plants to oil and setting up the supply lines could be done in a timeframe that helped this winter, using less gasoline in Boston will do zero for helping that.
buried_lede t1_ix1ssfx wrote
We already reserve oil at all the switchable plants in Connecticut. They are reqiured to reserve oil and every winter the gas plants here burn oil, on low temp days when homes using gas are turning the heat up - they come first.
So it's done every year, but last reports I checked, their reserves were much lower than usual
There is blame to go around to all parties, all of them. The corps are trying to come out on top and have worked against plenty of projects too because they don't serve their bottom line
I’m sure most of the natural gas power plants up in MA are dual fuel as well, and reserve oil for winter use.
modernhomeowner t1_iumen95 wrote
It is a problem that has been compounding annually, if we don't do something now, next year will be worse. There isn't a magic natural gas fairy that will build a new well and a new pipeline by next winter.
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