The conundrum of natural gas

 

 

"Man, what a future! What could possibly go wrong?"

It does not seem like a month goes by where our proven reserves of natural gas does not go up. Not bad for a substance which at one time was considered a "byproduct" of oil extraction. No, natural gas is one of our golden tickets forward as we enter a new era of energy. Not only do we have enough for us to use for many purposes, we also have enough to sell overseas and thereby reduce our balance of trade.

Please put the Champagne away, as we are not yet ready to pop the corks. Somehow, it seems that Debbie Downer got invited to this party. In another example of the tail wagging the dog, Debbie is not going to let us use and export this precious resource.

First the good news. The usually worthless Department of Energy (DOE) gave its approval in March to build a new terminal in Jordon Cove, Oregon to liquefy and export natural gas. This is the sixth (DOE) approval to build a new facility in the past year. That is great, as without terminals such as these, we can pump all the gas we want, and only a small faction would be able to be exported.

Now the bad news. Debbie Downer and her greenie friends have vowed to lock up each of these DOE approved sites in the courts for years. Why? You know, the usual suspect - global warming (or whatever it is called these days). Some might say, "Wait a second! I thought natural gas was better for the environment than coal or oil!" True - but compared to bird killing wind machines which produce practically nothing, natural gas still produces some carbon. AND LET US NOT FORGET ABOUT THE EVIL FRACKING!!! That damn sand which has allowed this great nation to energy independent. 

So, Mr. "I have a pen and I have a phone" - get off your posterior and get your greenies in line. If we are trying to teach Vladimir a lesson, he must be laughing in his borsch right now. We can't just vote "present" on this issue - we need to get these terminals approved and shovel ready by summer.

I have never seen a government so tied up in knots as this one is. A deer in the headlights on all major issues. This issue is a no brainer. Mr. President, grow a pair, and do the right thing. Our allies in Europe are looking for a Marshall Plan type solution, not slogans like hope and change. Here is your chance Mr. President to be a game changer - don't let your loony base allow you to be gamed instead.