Happy Valentines Day
Friday, February 3, 2023
Monday, October 17, 2022
The Road To New England -- October 17, 2022
In the big scheme of things, I only follow a few "issues" outside of the Bakken. I used to follow / track articles on "global warming" / "climate change" but now that I understand what's going on and because it's generally the same story day in / day out, I tend not to follow it much any more. I've also quit following the Biden administration, and politics, in general, but occasionally post something on the latter, but I certainly don't follow Biden like I followed Bush II, Obama, Hillary and Trump.
I don't follow the EV story as much as the "streaming wars" story.
How I decide what to track? I have no idea. Whatever seems to interest me, mostly to try to get a better understanding of something. Once I feel I have a good understanding of something, I tend to lose interest.
That's all background to ISO NE and ISO NY. How in the world did I ever get interested in those two grids / issues? It started with ISO NE and then, sometime late, to ISO NY. I started following ISO NE when they started banning new sources of fossil fuel just a few miles to the west of them and tried to replace it with wind energy. So, that was years ago. And then ISO NY when that witless representative from Long Island wanted to do the same thing. Be that as it may, others are now following the same story.
A reader alerted me to a story in The WSJ today, October 17, 2022:
New England power producers are preparing for potential strain on the grid this winter as a surge in natural-gas demand abroad threatens to reduce supplies they need to generate electricity.
New England, which relies on natural-gas imports to bridge winter supply gaps, is now competing with European countries for shipments of liquefied natural gas, following Russia’s halt of most pipeline gas to the continent. Severe cold spells in the Northeast could reduce the amount of gas available to generate electricity as more of it is burned to heat homes. [Any mention of the Utica, Marcellus, or Permian?] [Any mention of solar or wind?]
The region’s power-grid operator, ISO New England Inc., has warned that an extremely cold winter could strain the reliability of the grid and potentially result in the need for rolling blackouts to keep electricity supply and demand in balance. The warning comes as executives and analysts predict power producers could have to pay as much as several times more than last year for gas deliveries if severe weather creates urgent need for spot-market purchases.
“The most challenging aspect of this winter is what’s happening around the world and the extreme volatility in the markets,” said Vamsi Chadalavada, the grid operator’s chief operating officer. “If you are in the commercial sector, at what point do you buy fuel?”
Power producers in New England are limited in their ability to store fuel on site and face challenges in contracting for gas supplies, as most pipeline capacity is reserved by gas utilities serving homes and businesses. Most generators tend to procure only a portion of imports with fixed-price agreements and instead rely on the spot market, where gas prices have been volatile, to fill shortfalls.
The New England ISO expects that the grid can weather a mild-to-moderate winter without significant reliability challenges. However, it has warned that electricity demand could threaten to surge beyond available supply after multiple sustained periods of severely cold weather, which would result in calls for conservation similar to those issued in California in September during a regionwide heat wave.
Some of my readers have suggested we have the same problem in Texas with ERCOT. Nope, we don't.
In New England, it's a "green-led" supply problem; in Texas it's a de-regulated, free-market demand problem. Huge difference.
The "demand" in New England is not growing; the supply if declining. In Texas, the demand is surging and Texans are doing all they can -- including renewable energy (which, or course) makes things worse to increase supply.
In New England, the powers that be seem to be working to make things worse; in Texas, the powers that be seem to be trying to make things better, albeit with free market and politics often working at cross-purposes.
Sunday, September 18, 2022
Beautiful Autumn Day In New York -- And They're Paying $300 For Electricity -- September 18, 2022
Shameful.
Reminder:
- Texas (ERCOT) has a demand problem.
- ISO New York and ISO New England both have a supply problem.
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Cold Snap; Road To New England, New York; China? No Problem -- Just Build More Coal Plants -- February 3, 2021
- spiked to and remained at $250/MWh for sustained period of time today;
- never got below $100 except for 15 minutes at 3:00 - 4:00 hour
- hydroelectricity with two surges; unable to keep up;
- coal and oil necessary
- late evening: coal (4%); hydro (6%); and, renewable at 7%
Just think what this will look like in 2035.
- at 10:32 p.m. ET, when things have really slow, AOC's constituents still paying $70 for electricity
Road to China:
A joint report released Wednesday by the U.S.-based Global Energy Monitor (GEM) and Helsinki-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found China built over three times as much coal-fired electrical power capacity in 2020 as the rest of the world combined.
As Voice of American News (VOA) delicately observed, this tremendous surge of coal-burning power plants, which are ostensibly one of the worst sources of global warming emissions, would seem to “undermine” China’s loudly declared “short-term climate goals” and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping’s promises to make his country “carbon-neutral” by 2060.
At least VOA addresses it. The NY Times ignores it.
More from above:
The GEM/CREA report found China’s coal power capacity grew by a net 28.8 gigawatts. China built coal plants at such a frantic pace, to provide cheap power for its swelling industrial capacity, that some of its coal plants might never repay their construction and maintenance costs.
China approved the construction of a further 36.9 GW of coal-fired capacity last year, three times more than a year earlier, bringing the total under construction to 88.1 GW.
China now has 247 GW of coal power under development, enough to supply the whole of Germany. [This is just "under development; not all that it has.]
A team of central government environmental inspectors delivered a scathing assessment of China’s energy regulator last Friday, accusing officials of planning failures and focusing too much on guaranteeing energy supply.
Saturday, January 30, 2021
Notes From All Over -- The Late Saturday Afternoon Edition -- January 30, 2012
Wow, I'm in a great mood. What a beautiful day in north Texas. Shirt-sleeve weather. They say global warming will increase the average temperature of the earth by two degrees. I've long forgotten whether that is in Celsius or Fahrenheit. My hunch: even Greta has forgotten.
Who wouldn't like to see the average temperature of the earth increase by two degrees? Don't New Yorkers fly to Florida for the winter? Don't folks from North Dakota/Montana flock to Phoenix at the same time as the New Yorkers fly south? The Brits love their vacations on the islands on the equator off the Iberian peninsula and the north African bulge. They're not going there for the clouds and cooler weather. LOL.
Whatever.
During the spring and autumn my electric bill runs about $55/month (I only have electricity, no natural gas). Except for about $20 for water, sewer, and trash, that's the extent of my utility bills.
I get upset when my summer bill (a/c) and my winter bill (heating) go over $100/month. We are very well off, financially and the utility bill is but an asterisk or a footnote in my monthly expenses. But I do get upset when I see my summer and winter statements. If the utilities met demand in the summer and winter like they meet demand in the spring and autumn, rates would be low all year around.
So I can only imagine how these utility statements affect those much less fortunate and living where the political "goal" is to see those utility bills increase. I don't understand at all why politicians want utility bills to go up.
I think about that often, but was reminded of it today when I posted the rates in New England and New York earlier today and yesterday: here; here; here; and, here.
After following ISO NE closely, I pretty much know at what point renewable energy maxes out; at what point natural gas maxes out; at what point nuclear energy maxes out. When those max out, the expensive hydro from Canada is brought in to make up the gap and/or coal and oil are burned.
A reader brought me up to date with the following note about NYISO:
Earlier today, noted at the above link, ~4,400 Mw of power was coming from the three nuclear sites within the state of New York.
One of the three plants, the Indian Point plant, which provides a steady, reliable >1,000 Mw, is closing in 90 days.While there are alternative suppliers (two new natgas plants just north of NYC providing ~1,400 Mw), the gas fuel supply will be restricted and expensive, somewhat similar to New England's situation.It is absolutely amazing to observe the slow motion 'train wreck' situations that these political 'leaders' are creating for their constituents.
The reader adds this should not be surprising when telegenic ditzes are placed in decision-making positions. I'm glad the reader said that. I didn't want to have to apologize to any readers for being insensitive. [Not all ditzes are telegenic. Exhibit A: Bernie Sanders.]
Along that line, speaking of apologies, I want to apologize for insulting my readers. Earlier I talked about a "fudge factor" in the supply of oil of which I was unaware. A reader said that the "fudge factor" was common knowledge, implying (at least I inferred) that I was the only one who was unaware of that fudge factor. A huge apology to all my readers for wasting their time.
Please continue to let me know whenever I post something that is "common knowledge," things that don't need to be posted. I only have so much time to blog and I certainly don't want to waste my time or my readers' time posting things everyone already knows. See first comment at this post.
On the other hand, don't bother clicking on the link. You would just be wasting your time. You already know/knew about the fudge factor.
LOL. I have to laugh out loud thinking about that fudge factor as being common knowledge. It reminds me of Guy Adami telling viewers last week that the market plummeted because the volatility index spiked. Hey, that was common knowledge. Everyone knew that the market plummeted because the volatility index spiked. Who didn't know that? LOL.
I think it's time for a bike ride. Or maybe y'all already knew that.
The Road To New York -- January 30, 2021
Holy mackerel! AOC's constituents paying upwards of $116 / MWh for their electricity. Link here. And it's an incredibly mild winter so far this year. They should have been storing all that excess electricity in batteries supplied by Elon Musk.
Friday, January 29, 2021
Think How Much Worse It Would Be If Amazon Had Built On Long Island? -- Friday, January 29, 2021
Holy mackerel! AOC's constituents paying upwards of $110 / MWh for their electricity. Link here.
Sunday, December 27, 2020
Batteries -- Idle Thoughts -- December 27, 2020
The discussion of batteries will center around five or six issues, at least.
- commercial vs residential vs individual
- household vs wearable
- cost
- efficiency / technology
- time between charging
*************************************
New York City -- Op-Ed
Updates
December 28, 2020: a reader replies.
Original Note
New York City is about to buy 45 seconds of back-up power for one-half billion dollars. And no one seems to care. Mention this to a New Yorker and at best you will get a shrugged shoulder. Guaranteed.
New York won't be able to buy its way out of blackouts -- Watts Up With That -- December 25, 2020. Link here.
New York City will soon be home to the world’s biggest utility-scale battery system, designed to back up its growing reliance on intermittent renewables. At 400 MWh this batch of batteries will be more than triple the 129 MWh world leader in Australia.
NYC presently peaks at around 32,000 MW needed to keep the lights on.
So for reliability we need, say, seven days of backup, which is 168 hours. Here’s the math:
32,000 MW x 168 hours = 5,376,000 MWh of stored juice needed to just make it. Mind you for normal reliability we usually add 20% or so.
400 MWh is not “significant scale. It is infinitesimal scale. Nothing. Nada. Might as well not exist.
[I estimate 45 seconds of backup power from the facility. Someone correct me if I’m wrong~CR]
Cost: how much will this 45 seconds of backup power cost? If you are a New Yorker, I hope you are sitting down.
Cost: how much will this 45 seconds of backup power cost? One-half billion dollars.
So, what would it cost to reliably back up wind power for NYC? $8 trillion.
We have no idea how to make 5 million MWh of batteries work together. The tiny 400 will be a challenge. It may not be possible.
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Awaiting The Big Storm -- December 16, 2020
Even before the big storm this weekend, renewables cannot keep up in New England which is now burning both oil and coal to meet demand.
Meanwhile, Long Island is up to $71.
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Road To New England; Road To New York -- July 22, 2020
July 23, 2020: Nick and I live in two different universes. First, note the amount of energy that wind contributes to overall energy consumption in NYC (below) and then read the oilprice headline story: renewable energy is seizing market share during the pandemic.
Later, 10:19 p.m. CDT: a reader noted, with regard to ISO New England below --
On the box to the left of the 'Fuel Mix Chart' (pie chart), is the 'Fuel Mix Graph'.
If you click on the 3 horizontal lines at the top of this box, actual numbers appear displaying the precise amount of contributory megawatts from each fuel source in 5 to 20 minute increments throughout the day.Today, at 11:20 AM Eastern Time, the region was consuming ~19,000 Megawatts overall.
Of this amount, wind contributed 33 Megawatts ... a share of less than one quarter of one parcent.
Comment: I don't know about you, but I find that absolutely amazing: of 19,000 megawatts overall, electricity demand/consumption, wind supplied all of 33 megawatts. Think about how many news stories we've been subjected to over the years regarding wind energy -- and this is all they have to show for it after all this time. Thirty-three megawatts out of a total of 19,000 megawatts.This, on perhaps the highest demand day of the year so far.
33/19,000 = not that it matters but that works out to 0.17% wind contribution. Not even half of a percent. Not ever a fifth of one percent.
Link here.
ISO NY, link here: for all the ink the New York press devotes to wind energy --- here is wind energy contribution to NYC area:
Amazon uses a lot of electricity. Jeff Bezos was incredibly fortunate AOC stopped him from moving HQ2 to Long Island. Wow. He dodged a silver bullet.
Friday, July 10, 2020
Notes From All Over -- Nothing About The Bakken -- The Friday Night Edition -- July 10, 2020
Manhattan rental market implodes: median rent plunges most ever as vacancies hit record high. Too bad Amazon didn't move to Long Island.
It's going to be a mess: twenty-five percent of NYC renters have not paid since March. Link here. It's one big snowball rolling downhill.
- large number of New Yorkers out-of-work due to lockdown
- direct payments to Americans now make up 25% of all personal income
- that assistance runs out in July -- that's this month -- unless US Congress acts now
- on top of that, last month New York state passed the Tenant Safe Harbor Act which makes it even harder for landlords to evict
- and, even if landlords are able to evict, demand for rentals has plunged
- plus people are fleeing cities due to virus pandemic and social unrest
- if colleges don't re-open (and I don't think they will) that will further exacerbate the rental market;
- a Redhead (that's her last name) said 40% of the tenants in her 50+ unit building skipped out on rent payments in June
- one thing I learned from my dad who rented a few apartments back in the day:
- whether apartments are rented or not, property taxes are due
- property taxes are based on appraisals, and appraisals are a year old when the market starts to crash
- if you don't live in NYC and don't think you won't be affected, think again: if you have a pension program, a pension investment, any kind of investment, 1,000-to-1 odds that investment has holdings in US banks -- they are in deep trouble.
No wonder Tesla looks like such a better alternative. LOL.
Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here.
That Redhead? Reminds me of a story:
A blonde is walking down the street and a car pulled up next to her. The man in the car says to her, ''What do you have in the bag?'' The blonde replies: ''I have chickens!''
The man thinks for a moment and says, ''If I can guess how many chickens you have in the bag, can I have one?''
The blonde thinks that it sounds fair and replies, ''Okay, but I'll make the bet even better! If you can guess exactly how many chickens I have in the bag I will give you BOTH of them!"
And, of course, from Mexico to Paris:
It's hard to believe, but I think I've seen the stage play not less than three times in London. Okay, maybe only twice. I forget. While stationed with the USAF near London for three years, we saw a lot of London plays.
Friday, June 12, 2020
Road To New York -- June 12, 2020
From S&P Platts Global: New York activists target National Grid gas project after Williams shelves pipeline.
Emboldened by the recent cancellation of a fiercely disputed natural gas pipeline project, climate activists are now looking to defeat National Grid USA's top alternative for addressing a downstate New York supply crunch.
Dozens of environmental groups have asked Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Public Service Commission to reject any option that would increase gas supply into New York City and Long Island. That includes National Grid's recommendation to build LNG vaporizers and enhance compression on the Iroquois Gas Transmission System.
The groups instead want New York to opt for non-infrastructure solutions, including energy efficiency and demand response measures and electric heating system adoption.Much more at the link.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
NYC / Long Island -- When It Comes To Natural Gas, A Third World County -- August 27, 2019
Screenshot:
This appears to be about the most recent news from a major publication, July 24, 2019. From The WSJ:
National Grid hasn’t been providing new gas service to businesses and residents in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island because of a standoff with the state over a stalled pipeline.This sounds like China, Russia, or a third-world country.
The utility hasn’t been processing requests for new or expanded service since the spring. Three months ago, Magda Perez, owner of Mermaid Prime Meat in Coney Island, Brooklyn, moved her business to a new location on the same block it had been for six years.
Ms. Perez had been a National Grid customer and had gas service at her previous location. But she said at her current location, she was unable to receive a new gas meter. The utility told her there was a gas shortage.
So she found a work around, arranging with her new landlord to use his existing gas line in exchange for an increase in her monthly rent rate.
“I need my stove to be working,” Ms. Perez said.
National Grid has refused a total of more than 2,000 requests for service since May, when the state rejected the proposal for the Williams Pipeline, which would carry gas from Pennsylvania through New Jersey to the Rockaways in Queens, and would have required 23.5 miles of new pipeline to be installed under New York and New Jersey waters.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Energy Contribution From From Wind In ISO-NY --- Drum Roll -- 0.33%; From Crude Oil: 1.3% -- July 22, 2019
Later, 12:54 p.m. CT: wow, at ISO-NE -- natural gas -- 72%.
ISO-NY (link here) and ISO-NE (link here).
- 11:11 a.m. ET --
- New England: $35; 72% natural gas;
- New York: $30
- dual fuel, natural gas or other fossil fuel (like coal): 36%
- natural gas: 21%
- nuclear: 24%
- hydro: 16%
- wind: 0.33% -- really? (less than oil which is about 1.3%)
I'm sure it will "pick up" this afternoon.
ISO-NY: all fuel --
ISO-NY: renewable (it's all hydro -- and hydro has been around "forever," not because of global warming but because it was available and affordable) --
Updates:
- at 10:55 a.m., wind accounted for 0.12% of total energy, down from 0.33% just one hour earlier
- percent coming from "dual fuel" (all fossil fuel) is increasing -- fossil fuel is dispatchable, wind is not -- and we're seeing this first hand
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
TransMountain Update -- By Then It Would Be Winter -- June 19, 2019
Think I'll go out to Alberta
Weather's good there in the fall
I got some friends that I can go to working for
Still I wish you'd change your mind
If I asked you one more time
But we've been through that a hundred times or more
I don't think folks realize that once the bill is passed, "no-growth" begins immediately. Any new project, any new development, anything that "requires" energy will need to be approved by the Climate Action Council.
With "social justice" a major component of the law, I see a lot of lawsuits against corporations with deep pockets.
Link here.
The legislation calls for reducing emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030 and 85% by 2050. The remaining 15% of emissions would be offset, making the state carbon neutral. The bill would also require that all electricity generation come from carbon-free sources by 2040. A Climate Action Council would be established to ensure the state meets its targets.From the article:
New York has considerable ground to make up. The state cut emissions only 8% between 1990 and 2015, according to the most recent New York greenhouse gas inventory.
From The Wall Street Journal, Scotch breaks with tradition to woo new drinkers. A governing body is relaxing rules over how to produce the spirit, giving in to demands by distillers.
To count as Scotch, the spirit must be distilled in Scotland from water and malted barley and aged in the country for three years in oak casks.
The Scotch Whisky Association, which enforces how Scotch is made and marketed, has for years also required distillers to mature and finish the drink in casks traditionally used by the industry, limiting producers mainly to old sherry, cognac, bourbon or port barrels.
Now, in a rare change to the rules, it will allow a wider variety of casks, including those previously used to age tequila and mezcal, cachaça, shochu and baijiu and other fruit spirits.I honestly don't think it's the cost of Scotch that is the problem.
Paul Miller, owner of St. Andrews-based Eden Mill Distillery & Brewery, hopes that access to a wider range of casks will decrease prices. Standard bourbon casks cost him over £100 ($125), while wine casks can range from £80 to £200 depending on provenance, making them among his biggest outlays.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
New Jersey Denies The Pipeline That NYC Denied Earlier -- June 6, 2019
New Jersey denies key permits for Williams' NESE natural gas project. Link here.
New Jersey regulators have rejected key wetlands, water quality and land use approvals for Williams' Northeast Supply Enhancement project, in another blow to the pipeline expansion that would bring 400 MMcf/d of incremental natural gas supply into New York markets.
The project only three weeks earlier was denied a water quality certificate by New York state regulators, though Williams has expressed optimism it could answer New York's "technical concern" and meet its in-service target.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, in a decision released late Wednesday, found that Williams' Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line had not fully shown how it could avoid or minimize adverse impacts to surface water quality caused by dredging to build a segment of the pipeline that would run through New Jersey waters of the Raritan Bay. The decision was without prejudice to Transco submitting future modeling analysis to demonstrate that mitigation.
The state regulators also found Transco had not shown there were no alternatives that ease impacts of a proposed compressor station to freshwater wetlands and riparian areas, and had not shown a compelling need warranting the compressor station as presently proposed.
New Jersey portions of the project include a 32,000 horsepower compressor station in Franklin Township, the 5.96-miles Madison Loop, and the roughly 6-mile Raritan Loop in New Jersey waters.
The decisions are without prejudice, giving Transco an opportunity to reapply.
Monday, June 3, 2019
Pipeline Problems In New York -- June 3, 2019
Now another New York state pipeline could be in jeopardy: the E37:
National Grid's so-called E37 project is a 7-mile expansion of its "Albany Loop" that brings natural gas around the Capital Region (Albany, NY).
The $70 million project would connect National Grid's system in Bethlehem to its Troy Gate Station on Bloomingrove Drive in North Greenbush with a pipeline extension that would be built under the Hudson River.The comment period was extended from April 24, 2019, to May 24, 2019.
The next milestone: The PSC will hold what's known as a procedural conference on June 6 that will set the schedule for a future vote by the commissioners, which is months away.
The "NYC pipeline" that was denied -- was denied a water permit allowing the pipeline to go under the Hudson River. Likewise, the E37 also goes under the Hudson River.
As for me, I'm thrilled to have completed two books on the revolutionary war this past month. I specifically chose books on General George Washington's campaign in New England to get a better understanding of the waterways in that area. Now, when "they" talk about the Hudson River, NYC, and Albany, as well as the Delaware River, Trenton, and Princeton, I have a much, much better feel for that area.
Same with Long Island, Long Island Sound, Staten Island, Kill van Krill, Arthur Kill, Hell Gate, The Narrows, and the upper and lower bays, and even Sandy Hook.
The two books:
- Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution, Nathaniel Philbrick, c. 2016
- Washington Crossing, David Hackett Fischer, c. 2004.
- In The Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown, Nathaniel Philbrick, c. 2018.
- the Manhattan Project, of course
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY: Hans Berthe (perhaps one of the important physicists at Los Alamos; Robert Oppenheimer
- [Cornell University is also known for its ornithology lab and studies.]
- Long Island conferences
The two older granddaughters are in Rome, Italy, for a few days before they fly to Athens, Greece. They and their father will then rent a sail boat and sail among the Greek islands for ten days. Their father is the skipper, and the oldest granddaughter, Arianna, will be the first mate. Olivia will round out the three-person crew. Both Arianna and Olivia have taken sailing lessons and, I believe, have received sailing certificates at some level.
Here they are, flying to Rome:
Thursday, May 16, 2019
The Fallout Begins -- New York Denies A Pipeline Permit -- The Morning After -- May 16, 2019
June 6, 2019: New Jersey regulators deny key permits for the New Jersey-to-New-York-Under-The-Hudson pipeline.
June 5, 2019: New Jersey regulators to decide on several permits for same pipeline.
June 3, 2019: another pipeline at risk. New York state to become a "no-growth" state.
May 22, 2019: Con Edison follows suit; limits new service.
May 20, 2019: moratorium back on. New natural gas hook-ups in NYC/Long Island on hold. Second moratorium in 2019.
May 16, 2019: even oilprice weighs in on this decision.
This story will now be followed here. New tag: Pipeline_Expansion_NY.
This will likely be the most interesting energy story affecting New York City this year.
For background, see this post.
Today, a google search:
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
New York Denies Pipeline -- May 15, 2019 -- Most Interesting Story Coming Out Of The Northeast This Year
May 16, 2019: this story will now be tracked at this post.
Link here: story broke 37 minutes ago ....
My hunch: moratorium on new hook-ups for Westchester County, NYC, Long Island -- I give the regulators two months to sort this out. This is no longer about natural gas or the environment. It's about a) elitism; b) anarchy; c) no-growth [Occasional-Cortex can explain].
Huge thanks again to a reader for bringing this to my attention.
This may be the most interesting energy story coming out of the northeast this year.
This was the backstory, posted yesterday:
Deadline: tomorrow, May 15, 2019 -- a reader brought this to my attention -- one of many links here:
Actually it sounds like -- according to the article -- even without any growth, the National Grid natural gas supply is already stretched to its limits during the winter.
- New England, NYC, Long Island
- National Grid needs access to more natural gas if growth is to continue
- access to more natural gas hinges on permits for pipelines
- National Grid says it will put the moratorium on hookups back in place if the new pipeline permits are not approved
- affects Westchester County, NYC, Long Island
- directly from the article: the problem stems from three things:
- significant growth in natural-gas demand created by the current development boom,
- increased demand from existing buildings converting to gas from dirtier energy sources such as heating oil, and
- more extreme heating needs as climate change brings more extremely cold winter days.
- no new pipeline has been approved since 2013
- at the link, the writer proposes the equivalent of President Carter's solution: wear sweaters in the winter
My hunch: they will find a way to thread the needle.
Likely solution: "forbid" National Grid from any moratorium on hookups but approve no new pipeline permit, waiting to see what this next winter brings. Seems crazy but kicking the can down the road has worked since 2013. If nothing else, the "May 15th" deadline will be extended, as the"parties remain talking."
Note the third point made by a "global warming" proponent: part of the current problem is due to "more heating needs as climate change brings more extremely cold winter days."


























