Open email to US Sec. of Energy Earnest Moniz:
Dear Dr. Moniz,
I have previously
recommended the elimination of the US Department of Energy, on the basis that it
has done almost irreparable harm to the country and will continue to do so.
While it may be political suicide to start a letter to a person recommending
that his job be eliminated, that is the basic fact of the situation.. Meanwhile,
as long as the Department of Energy exists, we the public need to deal with
it.
There is a one-page article in the June 24 issue of Chemical and
Engineering News, which touts the advantages of natural gas over coal. You are
quoted in the article as being appreciative of the boom in natural gas, which
for an equivalent amount of energy produced has a lesser emission of carbon
dioxide to the atmosphere. You go on to say that natural gas will serve as a
bridge to the eventual use of what is called sustainable energy, meaning no
diminution of supply. Those examples are wind and solar energy.
I
suppose, like a good soldier, you are required to continue to promote the
program consistent with that of the Obama Administration. However, I feel it's
my duty to bring forth the logic of the situation.
The fact is that the
use of carbon materials gives cheaper usable energy to the general public than
does wind or solar. It is true that the carbon resources may eventually run out,
but it is our duty to use those materials available, as long as they exist. When
we have no more carbon materials as a source of energy, we can then concentrate
on solar, wind, nuclear or other. However, we don't know when that will be or
whether it ever will be.
In addition, I must again point out that you and
many others are on the wrong track with respect to your viewpoint on carbon
dioxide emission from carbon sources. It may be nice to consider the fact that
only half as much carbon dioxide is produced in the burning of natural gas as
compared to coal, but that is completely irrelevant. That consideration is based
on the feeling that carbon dioxide is a contaminant to our environment. Nothing
could be further from the truth. Natural ecological processes have handled
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for many millennia to retain the balance
between excessive amounts and the amount required for normal production of plant
life.
I strongly suggest that you and your administrative superiors in
the Obama Administration eliminate from your consideration any attempts to
reduce carbon dioxide emissions. You need to look at how we can get the cheapest
energy to the American public, whether by coal, oil, natural gas or the
so-called sustainable methods.
Sincerely,
Arthur C Sucsy, PhD