The Natural Gas Gamble: Addressing Our Growing Reliance on Natural Gas for Electricity
Join Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) experts and SACE staff to discuss a new UCS analysis released in March on the implications of our growing reliance on natural gas for electricity.
Sandra Sattler and Steve Clemmer will walk us through how many utilities are doubling down on natural gas to generate power as they retire aging and polluting coal plants. While this unprecedented shift does provides some near-term benefits, dramatically expanding our use of natural gas to generate electricity is an ill-advised gamble that poses complex economic, public health, and climate risks.
We will look specifically at the vulnerabilities for the Southeast U.S. on this trend of gas over-reliance and discuss the myriad clean energy pathways that will ensure a more consumer-friendly, resilient, and diversified electricity system, while also delivering cost-effective CO2 emissions reductions and improved public health.