Letter to the editor: Connie Hayes

Un-natural Gas

Sun, 02/21/2021 - 8:00pm

How tempting it would be to put in a gas furnace, paid for by Summit Gas with money they dangle in front of you to do so. Oops, that is if you spend your own money even before the pipeline is built and if you meet their fine print deadlines and restrictions.

And oops, that money is straight out of your own tax money through the Efficiency Maine program.

And oops, our streets will be torn up for years.

And oops, we are locked into fossil fuel infrastructure for decades while the rest of the world is getting off the fossil fuel habit.

And oops, most of this “natural” gas comes from fracking.

And oops, you would be helping a mega-million dollar hedge fund company line their pockets.

If you have investigated all this and still want to have the fracked gas, it is your decision. Yup, at least for a few years your heating bill may be smaller. (But have you ever heard of a monopoly seller who keeps prices low?)

Whatever the prices, it is a short-term benefit. You might stretch a bit to think long-term and commit to a non-fossil fuel future of a cleaner and safer world. Our children and their children might like that.

Connie Hayes lives in Rockland