There has been some media coverage about what the best solutions are to address carbon emissions. Some groups are advocating for removing the choice of natural gas equipment in new homes and businesses and mandating electric alternatives.

According to the nonpartisan firm, DHM Research, 70 percent of voters in Oregon and Southwest Washington oppose a ban on new natural gas hookups in homes and buildings. And recently the Oregonian published an editorial about the Eugene City Council’s decision to ban the use of natural gas in new homes, expressing a strong preference for sound policy and science over political posturing.

A closer look at the source of emissions shows that electricity is responsible for 60 percent of emissions in Oregon. In fact, Oregon electric utilities rely on nearly as much natural gas for power generation as all the natural gas utilities in the state deliver to customers. In 2017 electric power consumption used 104,362 million cubic feet compared to 137,515 used by residential, commercial, industrial and vehicle fuel. In 2021, electric usage increased to 140,145 compared to 134,046 customer use. NW Natural has published their Vision 2050: Destination Zero reporting their plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 for the energy services provided to 2.5 million Northwest residents.

NW has developed three scenarios that incorporates energy efficiency and conservation through building shell improvements, deep retrofits, and advanced heating equipment; lower-carbon fuels such as renewable natural gas and clean hydrogen; and technology that extracts carbon alongside natural gas combustion.

Portland General Electric has a 2040 goal of zero emissions on the power serving customers and net zero emissions that is based on one plan dependent on homeowners and businesses adopting to their renewable clean energy or time-based programs. Their program requires consumers to change their habits, ending operations at coal plants, adding more wind and solar facilities with battery storage. Consumers have two choices: generate thier own power with solar panels or pay more for electricity that they claim is 100% renewable.

But, as reported by NW Natural, currently electricity can’t be generated without natural gas. PGE says, to reach the 2040 goal they will require technology advancements they are working on developing to fully eliminate emissions from our power supply. Among them will need to be a new battery design that is low in emissions to produce and that can be recycled. Another is manufacturing wind and solar equipment in the U.S. with low emissions. It doesn’t seem that emissions for production in China goes into the calculation.

PGE development funding comes from the Renewable Development Fund made possible by a community of more than 235,000 Green Future customers, the largest renewable program in the country. Funds come from a portion of the payments that Green Future Choice and Block customers voluntarily pay in addition to their standard PGE electricity bill. Since its inception in 1999, the Renewable Development Fund has awarded 87 projects with more than $16.5 million, creating 16.6 MW of renewable generation.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Oregon’s majority party has made it their goal to eliminate fossil fuels including natural gas, even though they have a zero emissions plan as good or better than the electric plans. And in order for the electric plans to ween off of natural gas, their emissions will increase due to battery useage.

Outside of emissions, legislators never address the abuses of children as young as six years old that mine cobalt for battery production for solar and wind storage and electric vehicles. Electric vehicles may emit less omissions to drive, but need to be driven 37,000 miles to make up for the higher emissions to manufacture them. The new Hummer EV emits approximately 341 grams of CO2 per mile driven making it worse than every fossil fuel sedan, even the heaviest.

Akio Toyoda, the president and grandson of the founder of the giant Japanese car company, is bucking the trend towards electric vehicles and is listening to consumer polls. “People involved in the auto industry wonder whether EVs are really okay to have as a single option. But they don’t speak out loudly,” he told reporters. "I believe we need to be realistic about when society will be able to fully adopt battery electric vehicles…. And frankly, EVs are not the only way to achieve the world's carbon neutrality goals."

World studies have shown that price drives consumers, not emissions. When the war on natural gas forced a surge in price in 2022, almost all parts of the world turned to a cheaper coal even though it is dirtier. And there is the human aspect. How much value is given to children’s lives over CO2 emissions that vegetation needs to make the earth green?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-05-20 12:29:36

Last Update: 2023-05-19 03:02:28