To the editor:
Southern New Hampshire can now breathe a sigh of relief with the knowledge that the energy giant Kinder Morgan Inc. suspended its pipeline project.
Had the pipeline project gone forth, it would have created a long-term relationship between the Northeast and the fossil fuel industry at a time when our resources should be wisely and expeditiously invested in local sustainable clean energy production technologies (e.g., wind, solar, and hydro) and energy efficiency measures that mitigate the impact of global warming.
We are rapidly running out of time to save our planet and we need to marshal our resources wisely. Our electric grid, which was deployed during the last century on the basis of centralized production combined with distribution over transmission facilities with long branching paths (with considerable loss), must be upgraded. This grid model was driven by the existing technology of that era. Imagine what our landscape would look like if every neighborhood had its own coal-fired power plant and then you can see why centralized power production was attractive. But, we have new technology now.
Net metering is a step in the right direction, and I, a Wilton resident, wish to thank Frank Edelblut for sponsoring, and Carol Roberts and Kermit Williams for voting for, the bill that led to the recent doubling of the net metering cap from 1 percent of the 1998 state-wide peak electric demand (50 megawatts) to 2 percent of the same value. This is a good start, but, through innovation, it can go much higher.
We also need to defang FERC, so that it can’t enable the rape of our environment in the name of profits for the fossil fuel industry that create long term destructive dependencies. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of time before another pipeline comes your way.
John Zavgren
Wilton