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Slow Burn
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Business New Haven
12/9/2002
By: BNH
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Almost daily we hear voices from all points of the political compass complain about our "dependence" on energy sources far from our borders. A great many cite the potential war in Iraq, our apparently troubled (and troubling) relations with Saudi Arabia, terrorism everywhere and now increasing instability in Venezuela as having their root cause in America's unquenchable thirst for oil.
Regardless the number of SUVs on American highways, steering a clear course in world affairs is as problematic today as it ever was. But the point is not lost on us that we need more domestic energy sources.
Equally at issue is the impact on the environment of our energy-intensive economy. The controversies surrounding Connecticut's "Sooty Six," metro New York auto emissions and long-standing concerns of some about the region's nuclear plants come to mind as well.
Then there is the problem of electricity supply in Fairfield County - as if transportation bottlenecks were not doing enough to shackle that economic powerhouse.
One important solution to all of these problems is natural gas.
Worldwide natural gas reserves are growing, and North American reserves are underutilized. Natural gas burns significantly cleaner than most other fuels, and the conversion of a large number of fleet vehicles in the tri-state region to natural gas would have a significant positive impact on air and water quality.
In New England - and in Connecticut, in particular - natural gas development is doing a slow burn. The state's Department of Transportation, for example, would rather blacken our urban buildings and streets with noxious-smelling diesel buses than convert their fleet to natural gas.
We are surprised - and disappointed - at the failure of environmental groups in Connecticut to champion the growth of natural gas utilization in the state and the region, preferring instead to get "greener" through a no-growth economic strategy.
New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. has said he wants a cleaner and greener city. But the natural-gas industry has yet to locate a single natural-gas filling station in the area.
The obstacles facing natural gas development are many. The closest source of supply (eastern Canada) is only now being fully tapped, the transmission infrastructure is inadequate and the industry appears addicted to major users such as factories and power plants.
Expanding the natural gas infrastructure has itself become a contentious issue. One such initiative by Islander East (a BNH advertiser) illustrates the problem. The company's attempt to build a pipeline to bring clean-burning natural gas from Canada to Long Island is being thwarted - ironically, in our opinion - by environmental concerns.
We don't wish to jeopardize Connecticut's oyster beds, or to belittle the legitimate concerns of local landowners, but the expansion of natural gas usage in the tri-state area is probably the best practical option for major near-term environmental improvement of air and water in the region.
Those most concerned with the region's environment should be seeking ways to assure that gas producers and the pipeline company create a diverse market for their product rather than relying on a few large customers - and not thwarting the pipeline in the service of small-picture environmental issues.
We need to grow the natural-gas infrastructure of the tri-state region. One argument posed against Islander East's pipeline is that the market to support it does not yet exist. If that's the case, then we especially hope it gets built. Maybe then natural-gas producers and distributors will become more aggressive in developing new markets.
Connecticut ought to commit itself to a strategy of increasing the usage of natural gas to replace less environmentally friendly fuels. It likewise ought to help encourage natural gas as a transportation fuel in the tri-state region and to address supply distribution problems in Fairfield County with natural gas cooling and co-generation.
Governor Rowland has had some success in positioning Connecticut as a leader in education and technology. He has had far less success in carving out a "green" reputation for the state. That reputation is increasingly important to attract the industries and people that will power economic development in the future.
Now that would be a gas.
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