Backers of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline have delayed construction by almost a year, but say there will be no impact on the system’s projected inservice date or project costs, the Charlotte Business Journal reports.
Methane, Fracked Gas & Climate
Methane (the main component in natural gas) is 100 times as bad for the climate as carbon dioxide over the short term. Less CO2 is emitted by natural gas than by coal when burned. But significant leakage of methane before burning makes gas a disaster for the climate, as revealed even more by recent science. Yet utilities and the gas industry are still feverishly promoting fracked gas.
NC WARN is working hard to connect the dots between climate change, methane leakage and the fracking boom that is driven by demand from the electric power industry.
Learn more about our methane work here.
Watch a 3-minute video by Cornell University’s Dr. Robert Howarth describing why natural gas is a disastrous strategy for the climate. More videos, PowerPoints and documentation here.
“Everything You Need to Know About Methane”, a primer by Earthjustice.
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The most important mystery about U.S. climate change policy — The Washington Post
Environmentalists have charged for some time that the fracking boom — the rise in unconventional natural gas that is the key driver of all of this — has a dark underbelly. Natural gas’s principal component is methane, which is also a greenhouse gas. And if it gets to the atmosphere unburned, it has a much larger warming effect than carbon dioxide does, over a period of about 10 years.
NC WARN challenges the NC media on climate, Duke Energy & Duke’s Response– The News & Observer
The elephant in the room is Duke Energy, the nation’s largest carbon-polluting utility, based in Charlotte. Duke is driving carbon emissions higher at the worst possible time. By planning to build 15 fracking-gas power plants in the Carolinas and pipelines to supply them, Duke is crashing headlong into some cold, hard facts: Methane leakage is the nation’s leading greenhouse gas problem and fracking economics is increasingly risky.
NC WARN Challenges Atlantic Coast Fracking Gas Pipeline — News Release from NC WARN
Watchdog nonprofit NC WARN today petitioned federal regulators to accept us as a party in the legal case over a 524-mile gas pipeline proposed by Duke Energy and Dominion Power that would pump natural gas from West Virginia’s fracking fields to power plants in North Carolina. The project is part of a major shift to make gas “the backbone” of Duke Energy’s future, according to CEO Lynn Good.
Utilities commission ignores public concerns about Duke’s Asheville gas-fired plant — Winston-Salem Journal
In February, Duke Energy gave notice to the N.C. Utilities Commission that it planned to build a gas-fired power plant at the current Asheville coal power plant site. Four months later, the N.C. General Assembly approved, and Gov. Pat McCrory signed, the innocuous-sounding Mountain Energy Act, sponsored by state Sen. Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson), which essentially greased the skids for a short, 45-day decision on Duke’s request. The normal time for such a decision is about 180 days, which is much better, considering the controversial nature of this request.
Why Natural Gas Might Not Be A ‘Bridge Fuel’ — WUNC’s The State of Things
Natural gas is considered a “bridge fuel” between fossil fuels and renewable energy, but experts warn that it can actually be worse than coal for the environment.
This interview features Dr. Robert Howarth of Cornell University, who will be joining NC WARN on March 29th for two special public events discussing the dangers of fracking and methane to our health and climate.
Attorney General Should Contest Rigged Duke Plant Approval — NC WARN Letter to AG Roy Cooper
Today NC WARN sent the letter below to Attorney General Roy Cooper. Highlights include:
– We urge him to challenge the rigged and unconstitutional process leading to approval of a large, climate-wrecking power plant.
– Duke Energy’s control over the legislature and regulators is clearly evidenced in the fast-track approval, and Duke plans to build up to 15 large fracking-gas power plants.
Fracking could be behind startling increase in US methane surge, experts say — Independent (UK)
Startling increases in one of the main pollutants that cause global warming have been unexpectedly discovered over the United States – and the main suspect is the country’s booming fracking industry.
Methane leaks across US pose a much greater threat than Aliso Canyon — The Guardian
When Stephen Conley, an atmospheric scientist and pilot, saw an emissions indicator skyrocket in his Mooney TLS prop plane, he knew he had found a significant methane leak. His gas-detecting Picarro analyzer indicated he was flying through a plume of gas escaping at 900kg per hour. The colorless, odorless gas was enough to cover a football field to a height of 20 feet in a single day. But this flight wasn’t over the highly publicized Aliso Canyon in Los Angeles; Conley was circling the Bakken Shale, a rock formation in western North Dakota that has been aggressively pumped for oil and natural gas.
Regulators Approve Duke’s Plan For Asheville Gas Plants — WFAE
N.C. WARN was among those opposing Duke’s plan for new generating units in Asheville. In a statement Monday afternoon, the group said: “Duke Energy can and should close the Asheville coal units now. Our position has been strengthened during this case: Duke’s huge natural gas power plant is not needed, would be high-risk economically, and would accelerate the global climate crisis at the worst possible time.”