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>Until the last coal plant shuts down, it makes zero sense to ban natural gas. I don't quite follow the logic here, why? California only had 1 coal plant left,
by Rebelgecko 4y ago
>Until the last coal plant shuts down, it makes zero sense to ban natural gas.
I don't quite follow the logic here, why? California only had 1 coal plant left, and most of it has been decommissioned. It's not like natural gas usage would be replaced with coal. It would be replaced with either renewable, nuclear, or centralized natty
- ars 4y agoEnergy is fungible. Coal plants anywhere in the US count, not just California. In some ways coal anywhere in the world counts because we tend to sell unused coal (i.e. any coal not burned by us just gets burned elsewhere).
- Rebelgecko 4y agoHow fungible is it? When the US banned leaded gasoline, did other countries increase their usage? I suspect when California finishes shutting down the last coal plant, it'll probably be with local unused natural gas capacity or renewable. I don't think it's practical for the state to import coal power from separate grids or across the country. I know reducing coal usage in the US might make it cheaper to burn in coal in other parts of the world, but there's still local benefits wrt lifespan and air quality