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> David, what do you make of the NDPs policy on natural gas?
The NDP policy is better than the policy of the other two parties, but
still needs improvement. I am convinced the NDP will be more open to
improvement than the other two parties. Especially important, the NDP
decision making process will be more open and public and thus far
superior. I will be voting NDP. They are certainly not perfect, but they
are our best chance in this election.
The NDP promise to renegotiate the Sable contract should be applauded. The
Liberals just plain gave away the farm in a way I find criminal. The
paltry benefits Nova Scotia will get from Sable will never even pay off
the high debts that NS Resources Limited incurred in underwriting the
early development of the offshore oil and gas industry - and that debt
keeps rising. Newfoundland did far better. Our current Liberal
government could have readily copied the precadence of the Hybernia
agreement, but instead chose a deal that benefits the rich.
All three parties have mostly the same policy in wanting to distribute gas
to every building in NS which is just plain wrong. Even just looking at
the economics, there is good evidence that the adverse health effects of
NG (natural gas) use in homes is likely to cause more health related
expenses than any likely monetary savings. Indoor air pollution is the
problem here as well as pollution of neighborhoods from small leaks and
exhaust vents on side-walls (instead of chimney vents) as well as air
inversions. This is quite serious. Cook stove use is the very worst, but
all home gas uses are a problem. Overhead gas stove vents just plain
don't work adequitly, even with direct outside air venting.
For industrial applications, as far as health goes, replacing coal or oil
with gas is likely to cause a health benefit as there will be less outdoor
air pollution. So I don't oppose that.
The effects in commercial and institutional uses will vary. At
Dalhousie and the VG, for instance, replacing oil with gas will be a help
at the physical plants where they generate their own electricity and use
the steam for heat, which is known as co-generation. Co-generation should
be legally mandated in every industrial, commercial and institutional use
of gas. And no gas use should be allowed if there is no co-generation.
But no gas use should be allowed inside the buildings where general staff,
patients and public are served to avoid exposure to gas leaks and gas
exhaust. This means no cooking with gas ANYWHERE. Even propane is
better, but electric is far, far safer in terms of air pollution. Gas
should only be used in separate buildings from where general staff,
patients (etc.) and public are, such as in the case with go-generation.
This is far more efficient and better for the environment than
non-cogeneration uses. It is safer. It is far more healthy. And it sets
the stage for more readily moving beyond the combustion of fossil fuels.
For instance, fuel cell technology is at this moment starting to be
developed well enought to be commercialized, especially where high
efficiency or environmental protection are quite important. It makes
little sense to invest our infrastructure dollars now in burning natural
gas when it will shortly be possible to generate energy with gas from a
fuel cell without the pollution from combustion. We should leap-frog over
the gas combustion infrastructure which will tie us down for 20 years to
be once again behind the leading edge.
Amery Lovens of Rocky Mountain Institute (the leading environmental energy
research group) suggest gas and oil energy be used only to make solar
energy equipment, like photo-volactics. This would give the best long term
return on the energy use of the fossil fuels and would also position us
for conversion completely to beyond fossil fuels.
Most important of all, we need a comprehensive Energy Policy that is
environmentally founded. I am certain that we are far more likely to make
progress in this regard with an NDP government than with a Liberal or a
Conservative government.
In energy, as in in most every other sphere, the most fundamental
decisions are made behind closed doors and are generally far more
favorable to the economic elite that to the general public or to our
biological life support system, the environment. The rich keep getting
richer and more powerful and the poor and middle class keep getting worse
off. And our poor environment is being decimated.
I am convinced that an NDP government is our best chance at present to make
this better. It certainly will not be a perfect solution by any means,
but it will be far, far better that either a Liberal or Conservative
government.
I urge everyone to VOTE and to VOTE NDP. And I urge them to bring
environmental concerns directly to the attention of candidates repeatedly.
Politicians respond to what their constituants tell them are issues of
importance. We will never solve our environmental and social woes just by
convincing politicians to do better. The public at large must also be
quite convinced to the point they will support constructive change. In NS
we did this in the conversion of peoples thinking from a Waste to a
Resource management paradigm. This defeated the incinerators and got
intensive recycling/composting going (not that there isn't much more we
could do there - like reduction in consumption and toxics production).
And we are making headway in the pesticide debate.
This can be done far more readily with an NDP government. So I urge all
to vote NDP and to actively work to elect NDP candidates.
I will post separately about some very encouraging results where I live
with our local NDP candidate.
David Wimberly
ag487@chebucto.ns.ca
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/6847/
***********************************************
"Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo" Virgil
(If heaven I cannot bend, then hell I'll stir.)
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