Apr 13, 2020 2 min read

Op-ed writer ‘in the dark’

It appears from Dave Ball’s April 5 op-ed that he spends a great deal of time in the dark whether or not the power is on. His opinion piece is full of falsehoods and fear mongering. He falsely states that Joe Biden has said that he would shut down the gas and coal industry on day one of his administration. That statement is a false. Biden is on record opposing drilling on public lands but has been attacked by some environmentalists for not opposing fracking. Limiting drilling on public lands is actually good for Washington County, as it will help limit the glut of natural gas on the market, which has depressed prices and caused layoffs in the local gas industry.

It appears that Ball also chooses to remain in the dark regarding the economics of electrical power generation. The reason that coal has gone from 58% of electrical generation in 1996 to around 24% today is purely economics. Natural gas is far cheaper and doesn’t have coal’s problems with sulfur dioxide, mercury emissions and legacy costs of acid mine drainage and black lung. The cost per megawatt for solar and wind energy has dropped substantially and has rapidly approached the cost of natural gas. Wind and solar power are without the external costs of CO2 leading to global warming.

Instead of choosing to remain in the dark, Ball and other leaders of Washington County would better serve the county’s residents by embracing the green technologies of the future and the good-paying jobs associated with them.

William Shader

Venetia