The good news in Pennsylvania is that we're already roughly halfway to meeting that goal. A Statewide Implementation Plan will be crafted over the next year that will allow us to meet the full goal utilizing "building blocks," which include adding more renewable energy to Pennsylvania's electric generation mix and accelerating energy efficiency, increasing efficiency at coal-fired power plants, and making a switch in electric generation from coal to natural gas.
Okay, not so fast on that last one as a switch from coal to natural gas warrants a close look. Carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants is indeed a huge problem as C02 is a greenhouse gas that will warm our planet, and remain in the atmosphere, for a very long time. Centuries. Natural gas, on the other hand, is a cleaner burning fuel whose current low prices makes it an (apparent) logical choice for a coal-to-gas switch.
However, natural gas operations bring the very real issue of methane emissions as a by-product of drilling operations. Methane or CH4, the primary component of natural gas, is a far more potent greenhouse gas than coal, up to 84 times more so in the first 20 years after its release into the atmosphere. While it remains in the atmosphere for a shorter time than carbon, its planetary warming wreaks a tremendous amount of havoc in the meantime.
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| Photo credit: WCN 24/7 via Flickr Creative Commons |
If we are to truly combat climate change, we must address both carbon and methane emissions. Simply trading one for the other accomplishes little.
Where we need to focus our energy in the battle against climate change is on renewable energy and energy efficiency. These cleaner measures will create good-paying jobs and save consumers money on their electric bills. Pennsylvania currently boasts 57,000 jobs in the clean energy sector and is poised for many more. Studies show that aggressive energy efficiency measures could drive down electricity bills by nearly 10 percent by 2030.
As the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) readies its response to the Clean Power Plan, it must also roll out strong standards that address methane emissions from both new and existing sources of natural gas operations. We cannot trade one problem for another since that will only make a bad situation worse.
Elaine Labalme is strategic campaigns director for PennFuture and is based in Pittsburgh. She tweets @NewGirlInTown.
