University of Texas Tower
Natural Gas No Solution
RECEIVED Wed., Oct. 8, 2008
Dear Editor,
I know a lot of folks are excited to see a symbol of the oil industry like T. Boone Pickens now building the largest wind farm in the world in Texas [“Pickens and Pope,” News, Sept. 26]. It’s just too bad his plan calls for increasing the use of natural gas in cars. Trying to solve the climate crisis by switching from oil to natural gas is like trying to dodge cancer by smoking light cigarettes. It’s a joke, because natural gas only produces 30% less CO2 than gasoline. While scientists say climate change is hitting much harder and faster than expected, Pickens says we should keep adding to CO2 levels at 70% of the current rate rather than reducing it by at least 25% in 10 years. It’s a joke. Of course, Pickens says it’s about energy independence, so who cares about the global impact of burning natural gas? Guess what: The U.S. only has 3% of the world’s natural gas reserves, while we use 25% of the world’s energy. Has anyone asked Mr. Pickens where we’re supposed to get the rest from? He’d better look to Russia and Iran for a start, because that’s who has the world’s two largest reserves. Considering that Pickens says, “The U.S. is the Saudi Arabia of wind,” why don’t we power our cars off of the huge amounts of solar and wind that Texas bathes in by investing all that money into plug-in hybrid cars that can get up to 100 miles per gallon and be charged overnight from his own windmills? Now that’s no joke!
I know a lot of folks are excited to see a symbol of the oil industry like T. Boone Pickens now building the largest wind farm in the world in Texas [“Pickens and Pope,” News, Sept. 26]. It’s just too bad his plan calls for increasing the use of natural gas in cars. Trying to solve the climate crisis by switching from oil to natural gas is like trying to dodge cancer by smoking light cigarettes. It’s a joke, because natural gas only produces 30% less CO2 than gasoline. While scientists say climate change is hitting much harder and faster than expected, Pickens says we should keep adding to CO2 levels at 70% of the current rate rather than reducing it by at least 25% in 10 years. It’s a joke. Of course, Pickens says it’s about energy independence, so who cares about the global impact of burning natural gas? Guess what: The U.S. only has 3% of the world’s natural gas reserves, while we use 25% of the world’s energy. Has anyone asked Mr. Pickens where we’re supposed to get the rest from? He’d better look to Russia and Iran for a start, because that’s who has the world’s two largest reserves. Considering that Pickens says, “The U.S. is the Saudi Arabia of wind,” why don’t we power our cars off of the huge amounts of solar and wind that Texas bathes in by investing all that money into plug-in hybrid cars that can get up to 100 miles per gallon and be charged overnight from his own windmills? Now that’s no joke!
Jacob Bintliff
