From Theory to Practice
Christie Hicks is lead counsel for Energy Markets & Utility Regulation at Environmental Defense Fund.
Policymakers across the country are grappling with a critical question that has significant consumer and climate impacts: How can states decarbonize the system while ensuring safe, reliable, and affordable service?
As energy planners face a massive shift in priorities and variables to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, cities and states must use all means available to reduce climate pollution in a transparent and equitable way.
Gas utilities are the subject of increasing scrutiny because plans to expand and fortify their infrastructure could lock greenhouse gas emissions and costs for decades. Nevertheless, natural gas utilities should be at the forefront of this transition, with care given to design the solutions needed for various end uses — from home heating and cooking to large industrial processes to fuel for electric generation.
Momentum for natural gas planning and a transition to more renewable forms of energy is undeniable. President Biden has committed to net-zero emissions and a hundred percent clean energy economy by 2050.