The Road To New England -- August 4, 2014

The Christian Science Monitor is reporting:

In the first three months of 2014, Massachusetts residents paid nearly as much for energy as they did in all of 2012, according to Independent System Operator-New England, a nonprofit formed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to oversee the region’s bulk power system. While natural gas prices in New England averaged around $36 per megawatt hour in 2012, they routinely spiked above $200 per megawatt hour over that period.

And apparently the folks in Massachusetts don't mind. 

I'm just a spectator in all of this; I have no dog in this fight. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. LOL.

By the way, the next big thing in railroading: liquid natural gas by rail. 

Here are the realities:

• contrary to what the nuts with the eccentric signs (their words, not mine) say, New England's demand for energy will increase (unless industry and jobs go away);
• New England is shutting down its coal plants and nuclear energy plants;
• solar and wind can't come close to making up the coal/nuclear loss;
• customers will get their natural gas one way or the other -- yes, that's reality;
• if the nuts with the eccentric signs (their words, not mine) don't like pipelines, they can watch unit trains carry highly volatile natural gas in from the Marcellus (no, it won't be Bakken natural gas; it will be Marcellus gas); and,
• it won't get less expensive by putting the inevitable off

But after watching the Boston folks pay for the "Big Dig," it appears they are used to paying for their mistakes.

You're Goin' Nowhere, Chris Isaak