OPINION:
“’Forcing Americans in the dark’: Green energy push blamed in California’s rolling blackouts” (Web, Aug. 18) shows the reality check required for the Green New Deal in both theory and practice. The rolling blackouts experienced by California are only a start in regard to what happens when energy idealism gets too far head of reality.
As noted in BP’s annual Statistical Review of World Energy, “pace and scale” will be absolutely critical in regard to any feasible pursuit of achieving carbon net zero. Political will and technological capability will not alone suffice; the fuels that supply the bulk of our country’s energy demand will not be replaced overnight. In 2019 natural gas, coal, nuclear and petroleum (at 0.4%) combined for almost 82 percent of our country’s total electrical net generation. Coal for power generation has been steadily falling and natural gas use has been steadily rising, which makes sense given the fuel’s relative abundance, low cost and low emissions. The U.S. is the top natural-gas producer in the world, and natural gas accounts for over 37% of our electrical generation. Thanks to natural gas, the U.S. has been the world leader in carbon-dioxide reductions since 2005.
Talks about fracking bans need to take our energy demand into consideration. California’s current shortfall is a very clear reminder that we need to ensure a suitable, well-balanced fuel supply in order to successfully resuscitate our communities and economy from the pandemic. When we beat COVID-19 and return to a 27,000-plus terawatt-hour electricity market in 2022-23, the U.S. and rest of the world will need all fuels to restore their economies and the jobs that come with them.
FREDERICK J. LAWRENCE
Alexandria, Va.
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