In an editorial, the Providence Journal calls on politicians to take action to reduce the costs of energy and to maintain climate progress:
The cost of energy rises as the bitterly cold weather approaches and demand for natural gas spikes. Natural gas has become increasingly important to New England, as power plants that run on coal, oil and nuclear energy have been shut down, and more homes have turned to natural gas for heating. More than 50 percent of New England’s electricity generation is now fueled by natural gas.
That is generally very good for our environment — since burning natural gas pollutes far less than burning coal and oil. But it has placed a premium on natural gas in the winter, which must at times be purchased at some of the highest spot prices in the world. Alternative sources of energy, notably wind and solar power, remain more expensive and are not reliable when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining.