Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says it can’t be done. – Eleanor Roosevelt.
Mike Sigler, a prominent Tompkins County Republican, may run for Congress in NY-23 this fall. His website gives his position on various issues. His article on energy policy in “Tompkins Weekly” caught my eye.
Mr. Sigler writes:
It (Climate Action Council Draft Scoping Plan) calls for a moratorium on new fossil fuel infrastructure and a retirement of existing fossil fuel infrastructure while also arguing against nuclear, hydrogen and biofuels. The only power generation acceptable under this plan is solar, wind, hydro and undiscovered, undefined new technologies. On the same page, the state calls for transition plans that respect local wisdoms, cultures and traditions. These two goals are in conflict.
A “moratorium on new fossil fuel infrastructure” is a vital step toward not burning things. If the goals he mentions are in conflict, we nevertheless need to achieve both.
However, this singular approach with wind and solar will not cover our energy use today, no matter tomorrow.
Of course not; this plan is for a sustainable future. We can’t get there, if we don’t start.
Imagine every house switching to heat pumps as suggested for the city of Ithaca, and everyone turning to electric cars.
That hasn’t been proposed and is unimaginable; certainly it can’t happen overnight.
New York state uses 143 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity a year. One terawatt hour is a million megawatt hours used continuously for an hour.
That’s wrong; one terawatt hour is a million megawatt hours. Mr. Sigler, obviously no electrical engineer, ought to have stopped with that. A million megawatts used for an hour would also have been correct.
New NY 23rd 