By Michael Bastasch
A Democratic attorney general who’s blocked natural gas pipelines and sued ExxonMobil over global warming is now saying that buying Russian gas is better for the climate.
New England received two shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) this winter that included supplies from Russia. Climate policies have made the region much more reliant on natural gas, which is expected to increase, but pipeline constraints have made supplies precarious during cold snaps.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has opposed building new pipeline capacity to bring more gas to energy-starved New England, and says importing liquefied natural gas during cold snaps is better for the environment than building new pipelines.
“LNG is a more efficient and economical way to meet energy needs during instances of high winter demand than building high-risk and costly pipelines that are not needed to maintain reliability,” Healey spokeswoman Chloe Gotsis told E&E News on Wednesday.
Healey has used her office to block pipeline projects energy experts say are needed to relieve supply constraints in New England. The region’s grid operator recently warned that shuttering coal and nuclear power plants will only exacerbate energy security woes.
A recent ISO New England study found the region “could be headed for significant levels of emergency actions, particularly during major fuel or resource outages.” Recent cold snaps have sent electricity prices surging and forced power plants to burn more oil and coal.
Despite pressure to build more pipelines, Healey’s office says continuing to import LNG from abroad, including from Russia, is a better policy.
“Continuing to rely on pipelines is too risky for ratepayers and our climate,” Gotsis said.
Healey’s been criticized for her opposition to pipelines, including by The Boston Globe. The paper published an editorial in February arguing pipeline opponents had essentially funded a “Russian pipeline” to the Arctic.
“The real-world result of pipeline absolutism in Massachusetts this winter has been to steer energy customers to dirtier fuels like coal and oil, increasing greenhouse gas emissions,” The Globe wrote.
Healey is also locked in legal battles with Exxon. Healey joined New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in suing Exxon about two years ago for allegedly covering up global warming science and funding groups opposed to climate policies.
Healey’s suit is largely based on reporting from liberal journalists at InsideClimate News and Columbia University on Exxon’s climate research going back to the 1970s. Healey’s case has even enveloped conservative non-profits.
Healey’s Exxon suit is tied up in Massachusetts courts over jurisdiction issues, and she’s defending herself in federal court against accusations she intiatied her investigation in bad faith.
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Maura Healy….of the Healy ‘dynasty’ is not only a fool, but not very bright. Yeah, Healy…let’s build up Russia’s economy. Gas is Russia’s only commodity; the only thing that is keeping them going. Even as President Trump places heavy sanctions on Russia this bimbo is thwarting those efforts. Wonder if she knows that Russia messed with our elections in 2016. oh, but she’s a Democrat. A hypocrite.
The French LNG carriers had to go to several European ports, including one in Russia and one in the Netherlands, to get enough LNG for a full load to make the trip to Boston.
Thus it was a MIXTURE of gas.
The UK REGULARLY gets LNG tankers to deliver such MIXTURES, as do other countries.
LNG from Europe shipped to Boston costs about $8/million Btu.
Pipe gas from Pennsylvania costs about $2.50/million Btu under long-term contract.
The environmental impact of LNG from Europe and pipe gas from PA is about the same.
It is idiotic For Healey to prefer LNG from Europe because it ADDS TO THE TRADE DEFICIT.
I guess MA socialists only care about ideology, not economics and job creation in the US.
End Result of US Policies and Trade Negotiations: The US went from a $6.8 billion trade surplus in goods in 1964 (the last surplus) to an $810 billion deficit in goods in 2017; the deficits are mostly with industrialized nations. Each $1 billion in goods deficit means about 8000 less goods-producing jobs in the US. Foreign entities earned about 10%, or $81 billion on their export surplus in 2017.
US budget deficits are mostly financed by foreign entities. They obtained the funds from 1) the earnings on their trade surpluses with the US and from 2) the earnings of their US assets. This and other factors changed the US from being the largest creditor nation in the world to the largest debtor nation in the world. The 50 years of growing US budget deficits and trade deficits led to the value of US assets held by foreign entities becoming about $8.3 trillion greater than the value of overseas assets held by US entities by end 2016, a very large percentage of US GDP. The US was a creditor nation from 1910 to 1988. Foreign entities earned about 5%, or $415 billion on their net assets in 2016.
NOTE: In a Wall Street Journal op-ed in March 2017, Navarro argued that “running large and persistent trade deficits also facilitates a pattern of wealth transfers offshore” He warned that “foreigners will eventually own so much of the US that Americans will wind up working longer hours just to eat and to service the debt.”
The A to Z Value Chain: For decades, the EU, Japan, Korea, etc., have invested to build up the skills of their technical personnel to develop, design and operate complex facilities to manufacture products and systems for their own markets and for export. That is the front end of the A to Z value chain, which is the most profitable part. It pays good profits to owners, good wages and benefits to workers and taxes to home governments. It is the real wealth builder of an economy. Those countries develop, design, build and own the ships to transport products and systems all over the world. Those countries own parts-making and assembly plants all over the world.
The assembly of parts and sub-assemblies into end products, such as cars, is the less valuable part of the value chain. Usually it pays good profits to owners, but pays mediocre wages and benefits to workers. Clever transfer pricing avoids or minimizes paying taxes to host governments.
http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/the-eu-and-international-trade
Healey is a complete and total ideologue. She is very, very dangerous because she is ignorant and has extreme positions. She perfectly displays the theory that liberalism is in fact a form of mental illness.
It is all a matter of control. With Communist gas, the State can dole it out as they see fit; can’t have the peasants too warm. With pipeline gas, the proles control how they’ll live.
Do that and next they’ll be voting improperly.
Idiot, look what dependence on Russian gas has done for them. They are DEPENDENT on Russia.