Cuomo’s Carbon Casualties Ban pipelines and fracking and then blame business for shortages.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cuomos-carbon-casualties-11574033835
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is a proud opponent of fossil fuels. But now that the consequences of his policies are harming people in the real world—those who can’t afford to escape to Florida—the Governor is blaming others.
Mr. Cuomo has blocked shale fracking upstate and several pipelines delivering natural gas from Pennsylvania in the name of protecting waterways. But this is an excuse. Natural-gas production in Pennsylvania has increased 60% since Mr. Cuomo banned fracking five years ago, adding $6 billion to Keystone State GDP and its waterways are fine.
Mr. Cuomo’s real purpose is to eliminate natural gas as part of his political commitment to “carbon neutrality” by 2050, and this isn’t a cost-free promise. Upstate New Yorkers struggle economically and pay among the highest energy costs in the U.S. A quarter still rely on heating oil, which costs about $1,000 a year more than natural gas and emits nearly 40% more CO2. New Yorkers pay about 40% more for electricity than Pennsylvanians and 15% more than in New Jersey.
The utility Con Edison in March halted natural gas hookups north of New York City due to pipeline constraints. National Grid, the gas utility that serves Long Island, this fall imposed a moratorium on new hookups after the Governor vetoed a 23-mile gas pipeline beneath New York Harbor. National Grid said it couldn’t guarantee uninterrupted service without the pipeline. New oil-to-gas conversions could cause future gas shortages and outages.
The Governor’s response: Who cares? “The ‘moratorium’ is either a fabricated device or a lack of competence,” the Governor wrote to National Grid last week. Mr. Cuomo ordered the utility to explore “short-term options” to increase supply such as transporting natural gas by tanker or truck. “Other infrastructure could be proposed or additional unloading facilities installed,” he said.
Building barges would require environmental permitting and is opposed by green groups in any case. National Grid already plans to deliver compressed natural gas by truck during the winter, but what if a snow storm closes roads? Perhaps “heat pumps and renewable sources” could alleviate the gas shortage, Mr. Cuomo says.
The Governor claims the utility violated its “fundamental legal obligation” by inadequately managing supply and demand. He also blames the utility for promoting oil-to-gas conversions even though this advances the state’s climate goals. One irony is that the pipeline he vetoed below New York Harbor could reduce annual CO2 emissions by the equivalent of 500,000 cars on the road. His gas embargo is raising state emissions.
Regardless, if National Grid doesn’t repair his pipeline blunder by Thanksgiving, the Governor says he’ll yank its public franchise. “This would be one of the most lucrative franchises in the country,” Mr. Cuomo declared last week. At least until the unlucky winner becomes the next scapegoat for the Governor’s destructive energy policies.
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