CEA Mid-Atlantic Director, Mike Butler, discusses why Governor Murphy’s Energy Master Plan will have a dramatic and negative impact on New Jersey residents.
Over half of the state’s households, businesses and manufacturers use electricity generated from natural gas. Eliminating half the pie would unnecessarily increase energy prices on families who, on average, spent $3,124 to meet their energy needs in 2016, more than those in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland paid.
TRENTON, NJ – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) Mid-Atlantic Director Mike Butler delivered testimony at the first series of stakeholder meetings being held on the Draft New Jersey Energy Master Plan (EMP). During the meeting before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, he expressed concern that the sweeping energy policy proposals would have significantly negative impacts on families and businesses throughout New Jersey:
“While we laud the spirit of the aspirational goals in the EMP, from CEA’s perspective, we have to consider the realities and implications of the choices we are making today.
“An all-of-the-above approach to our energy solutions should be applauded; as should continued progress toward meeting our environmental challenges. However, the EMP significantly glosses over the hurdles facing the desired goal as well as the expense. More than 90 percent of New Jersey’s electric generation comes from nuclear and natural gas generation, and gas heats 75 percent of all homes in the state. How do we actually remove these energy sources from our daily lives without significant cost and disruption?
“We also need to reflect on the significant environmental progress that is already underway. The U.S. is more than 65 percent of the way toward meeting the environmental goals established by the Paris Climate Accord. No other nation on earth except Sweden is doing better.”
CEA conducted an analysis and found that New Jersey families, businesses, and households saved $21.2 billion from 2006 through 2016 because of natural gas supplies and pipeline infrastructure. All of these savings could become endangered if the EMP forces natural gas out of the energy equation.
The shift to put 330,000 new electric vehicles on the road in just a few years ignores the fact that there are only a little more than 23,000 in use now out of a total state vehicle population of over 6.4 million. The reality is that we are going to need transportation fuels like gasoline and diesel for many years to come.
Unfortunately, the public debate so far has also failed to note the fact that natural gas helps complement the build-out of renewable energy development in New Jersey and across the nation. Until battery storage technology and deployment improves and costs come down, we need natural gas and pipelines to help back up these resources when they aren’t available.
The fact remains that New Jersey is clean and getting cleaner. It has one of the lowest per capita rates of carbon emissions in the country. Energy doesn’t have to be an either/or discussion.
We urge the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to strike a balance with a portfolio that makes room for natural gas, pipelines and a variety of resources and efficiency technologies to get to the cleaner future we all want without hurting those who can afford it the least.”
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About Consumer Energy Alliance Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading consumer advocate for energy, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers to support America’s energy future. With more than 500,000 members nationwide, our mission is to help ensure stable prices and energy security for households across the country. We believe energy development is something that touches everyone in our nation, and thus it is necessary for all of us to actively engage in the conversation about how we develop our diverse energy resources and energy’s importance to the economy.
New Mexico is full of heritage, with many farmers and ranchers tracing family ties back to Homesteading during the mid-late 1800s, as this part of the Southwest started to become a U.S. state. The Land of Enchantment welcomes visitors with beautiful mesas, colorful art, cultural music and dance, and continually carries hints from Native American, Anglo, and Hispanic heritage that makes this state so distinct.
While flashy red and green chilies and high-flying balloons often get most of the national attention, New Mexico is a major-league pecan-producing state, second only to Georgia. To give you more perspective, one in five pecans in the U.S. comes from New Mexico.
There’s evidence that pecans were popular among Native Americans over 10,000 years ago, and that the word pecan itself is said to derive from the Algonquin word meaning something along the lines of ‘hard nut to crack.’ When sources of protein were exhausted, Native Americans discovered the sustaining powers of nuts. They realized that the pecan gave them just as much, if not more, energy and nutrition as the bison did. One theory for the origin of pecan pie suggests that Native Americans introduced the pecan to the French, who settled in New Orleans and – thanks to their innate baking expertise – soon after invented the pecan pie as we know it today.
According to New Mexico State University, about 70 percent of all pecans produced in the state are grown in the Mesilla Valley along the Rio Grande corridor in the southern part of the state, where the river provides essential irrigation water for the tree’s roots.
As the world’s largest supplier of pecans, the U.S. produces on average between 250 and 300 million pounds – approximately 110,000 to 140,000 metric tons – each year; about 80 percent of the total world crop.
New Mexico farmers like Greg will tell you that the world wants New Mexico pecans, but they can’t grow enough to satisfy demand. It’s not just the fertile soil, water and sunshine that makes New Mexico an ideal place to grow pecans in this country. It’s affordable energy too. Pecans need energy, plain and simple. Ultimately, energy is what enables farmers like Greg to manage, harvest and deliver their pecan orchards. From electricity to natural gas and diesel, they require all kinds of energy to power everything from water pumps, tractors, tree-shakers, and refrigeration systems.
Just like the Native Americans learned thousands of years ago, there is a lot of energy packed behind each pecan.
Whether its ice cream, pie, or trail mix, pecans are a special treat for those who can get their hands on them. Whether we ship them to Colorado, Kentucky or France, we can’t overlook the markets and systems we’ve created. We also can’t overlook the importance of the world supply chain – not just with goods and service – through goodwill, productive policies and exports. The U.S. helps other nations more than most realize.
Americans have always believed that responsibility exists to provide for others, when and where we can. It might even be safe to say that not exporting, and not helping others, is counter to our country’s DNA. Besides chilies and pecans – along with many other products and services – New Mexico has an abundance of energy that not only adds to our economy but is something we others use that we can continue to supply through exports, a product that everyone needs.
Many don’t realize this, but the U.S. is the most advanced, environmentally friendly first world country on the globe. We should spread that, and New Mexico is helping to do so, one energy-packed pecan at a time.
Vice President of U.S. Operations Enbridge, Brad Shamla, responds to a recent piece and explains why facts are key in understanding the need for pipeline projects like Enbridge’s Line 3 project.
Fact: The recent decision by the Minnesota Court of Appeals on the adequacy of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, or FEIS, affirmed eight of the nine disputed aspects of the analysis and identified only one issue for further analysis. While disappointing to Enbridge, it is hardly the setback the writer would lead you to believe.
If you’re anything like me: an individual who wants environmental sustainability but also wants to pay your energy bills without making your wallet cry, then keep reading.
In today’s world we are experiencing a very “them vs. us” type of culture. Instead of working with groups we disagree with to meet in the middle, we completely dismiss their ideas. Just log on to Facebook for ten minutes, you’ll see what I’m talking about. The narrative regarding traditional energy sources and renewable energy is experiencing a similar type of environment. One side argues that the oil and gas industry is killing the environment and the other side is claiming that renewables are too expensive for families and businesses to afford and stay afloat. However, who says you can’t have both?
Renewable energy doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it’s possible that your energy and utility provider is using solar or wind energy to power your home at this very moment. For example, Michigan’s two largest utilities, Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, have committed to producing cleaner energy by depending on 25 percent renewable energy by the year 2030, and increasing energy efficiency by 25 percent in the same timeframe. Long story short, these utility companies will be relying on the production of solar and wind energy to turn your lights on, cool down your home, and even run your blow-dryer in the mornings. What this also means is that if you’re like me and can’t afford to buy rooftop solar panels, you don’t have to. Your utility company is already doing it for you.
Protesting pipelines is another effort that is harming the environment and making energy more expensive for families and small businesses. After DAPL in 2016, hundreds of people started running out to pipeline construction sites to showcase their disapproval, but did they do their research? Transporting liquid petroleum and natural gas via pipeline is 4.5 times more environmentally friendly than transporting the same amount by freight and rail, and more affordable too, meaning your energy bill stays low. Why? Take into consideration the amount of fuel required to run the trucks and trains, the amount of money required to pay drivers and engineers, the man hours necessary to move these products, and the emissions released into the environment by the machines required to do so. Pipelines eliminate all these factors by being located underground. It’s likely there’s a pipeline near you without your knowledge!
The theme behind the infamous DAPL protest was the concern that its implementation would be a danger to the quality of drinking water in the area. That idea is simply false. Pipelines are an extremely safe way to transport energy across the country. A barrel of crude oil or petroleum product shipped by pipeline reaches its destination safely more than 99.999% of the time. After 10 months of camping out, anti-energy protesters left behind 48 million pounds of garbage at the DAPL protest site for the North Dakota Department of Energy Services to clean up. The federally funded clean-up project costed taxpayers $1.1 million. So, next time you’re feeling guilty for not joining in on the latest social-justice issue, don’t. What you’re standing for could ultimately harm the exact issue you’re trying to protect.
At the end of the day, the goal is to provide reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for all. It doesn’t have to be “us vs. them,” it can be a joined effort towards a common goal. Many oil and gas companies are working daily to protect our environment, and many are advocating for renewable energy to power their projects. Together let’s work together to lessen the cost burden on families while protecting the world we live in. The time to unite is now.
When you sit down to eat, do you ever consider where your food comes from or what it takes to produce it? Seriously – and I’m not referring to your significant other or the cook who “prepared” your meal. I’m talking about the ranchers who raised the livestock or farmers who grew the fruits and vegetables that ended up on your plate. Think of the “Farm” episode from Portlandia, but maybe a little less quirky.
The answer: probably not. But don’t worry, you’re not alone.
However, while many people don’t stop to think about how their food arrived in front of them, many don’t even understand where their food (or drinks) came from in the first place. If you stop and think about it, every meal has a story.
A couple of years ago, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy purported that in a survey conducted on their behalf, 7 percent of American adults think chocolate milk comes from brown cows. In addition to that, the Center indicated 40 percent of California 4th-graders (5th and 6th graders, too) didn’t know that hamburger meat comes from cows; orange juice is apparently the nation’s most popular “fruit”; and French fries and potato chips are the nation’s favorite “vegetables.”
As CNN pointed out about the Center’s survey back in 2017, that’s 17.3 million people. To give you an idea, that’s just 2 million shy of the total population of the state of New York who don’t know that chocolate milk is made from combining milk, cocoa and sugar.”
Later, the authors of the survey clarified further saying that the intent of the survey was to be lighthearted and highlight how people are confused or make incorrect assumptions, about where their food comes from.
While the survey was pretty outlandish, many of them can be. And perhaps the question was a little unfair, so maybe take these conclusions about chocolate milk’s origins with a grain of salt. But it does highlight that there is likely a disconnect between American consumers and farmers and ranchers.
Nearly 99 percent of U.S. farms are operated by farming families – individuals, family partnerships or family corporations. That means fewer than 2 percent of Americans live on farms today. As the U.S. population continues to shift away from rural areas and into cities and suburbs, that number could shrink even more.
For decades, many in the farming community have pointed out that Americans are becoming “agriculturally illiterate.” That is, they don’t know where food is grown, how it gets to stores — or even, in the case of chocolate milk – what’s in it.
And that’s problematic for a number of reasons. Food shapes our lives, health, attitudes, and more. Additionally, from a consumer choice standpoint, it’s important to understand how things are grown and where they come from. Not to mention government policies that can interrupt how that food finally gets to us when we go to purchase it at a grocer or convenient store.
While many people buy groceries from stores in cities or suburbs, much of the food produced in the U.S. happens in the rural areas of our states. To plant, grow, and produce these products, farmers need energy. Meet Don, he lives in southwestern New Mexico. Don’s been a farmer for most of his life producing the watermelon, chilies, and sweet onions we all like to eat.
But dig a little deeper into the process and you’ll realize that as much as we rely on ranchers and farmers, they, in turn, rely a lot on affordable energy. They are price takers, not price makers – that means the market dictates what farmers can charge for their products, not them. Which means that changes in energy prices affect them disproportionately because everything they do is dependent on energy and natural resources.
So, the next time you’re grocery shopping or sitting down to eat, try and take a minute to think through how everything made it to your plate, including the people and the energy behind it. Like Don. You can hear more about him here:
The President of the United States yesterday laid out in detail the environmental progress our country is making.
“The United States has a tremendous environmental record. By virtually every measure, our country is succeeding in lowering emissions, improving our water quality, and preserving wildlife and habitat for generations to come,” said David Holt, President of Consumer Energy Alliance. “As the world leader in oil and natural gas production, our environmental record compared to other producers is second to none.”
“We continue to see improvements in production and reductions in emissions at the same time, proving that responsible energy development and environmental stewardship can – and are – leading the way towards addressing the greatest environmental challenges of our time. While there is always more to be done, the U.S. is making great progress, and this is a success story that we as Americans should be proud of.”
Believe it or not, the Bronx Zoo in New York City is the largest zoo in America. It’s also one of the oldest. On 265 acres a few miles northeast of Yankee Stadium, the world-renowned Bronx Zoo draws more than two million visitors annually and features 4,000 animals including more than 650 different species. More than two million people visit it each year and due to the size of the park, some visitors find that they cannot see everything in a single day.
With that many animals, you have to figure there’s a whole lot of people behind them. After all, simply feeding hundreds of species a wide range of dietary needs is an elephant-sized job. The Bronx Zoo employs about 4,000 workers, nearly one for every animal.
Aside from zookeepers, biologists, and veterinarians, no one likely knows and understands animals better than America’s farmers and ranchers who make up our agriculture industry.
Kind of makes sense, right? Our farms don’t just supply food for people – they supply food and materials for animals in zoos, too. For example, a group of four elephants can eat an estimated 450 pounds of hay each day. That amounts to 8,000 bales of hay each year, making a zoo’s reliance on America’s farmers that much more important.
Hay must be transported to our zoos by truck. Aside from commodity pricing – the price a crop like corn or soybeans may fetch – energy and transportation costs are the single most important variables between a farmer having a good week, or a bad week. Farmers like Bud rely on trucks and a well-calculated hauling plan to make sure customers like the Bronx Zoo get exactly what they need – when they need it. As Bud will tell you, “you have to have energy before you can have production agriculture.”
The elephants in New York who depend on hay from New Mexico is a great example of supply chains and how much of what we see, use and experience each day is all interconnected.
Without farmers, and the energy needed to deliver that hay, New Yorkers would have a whole lot of hungry, angry elephants on their hands.
Meet our friend Bud who helps all this hay get to market.
Randall Mccormick, former Lea County Commissioner and Magistrate Judge, explains why news that the hospitality industry is having to build up more to keep up with demand is a good thing, and just one of the benefits of natural gas to the local economy.
According to one study, by 2020 the unconventional oil and gas manufacturing sector will support 3.3 million jobs across the United States. By 2025, that figure will rise to 3.9 million jobs. We are definitely seeing the results of that kind of growth in Lovington, Hobbs, Eunice and Jal.
While many people buy groceries from stores in cities or suburbs, much of the food produced in the U.S. happens in the rural areas of our states. To plant, grow, and produce these products, farmers need energy. Meet Don, he lives in southwestern New Mexico. Don’s been a farmer for most of his life producing the watermelon, chilies, and sweet onions we all like to eat.
