The need for clean-burning fuel in a New England winter

Boston Globe editorial laments lack of natural gas infrastructure during epic cold snap

With the U.S. East Coast hunkering down through a record-breaking cold snap, some in Massachusetts have been lamenting the lack of the blue flame.

In Boston, over a foot of snow has fallen, freezing floodwaters have ravaged the seaport district, and biting temperatures have matched a century-old record.

An editorial in the Boston Globe pointed out that natural gas could have helped Beantown stay warm.

“Efforts by some environmental activists to block natural gas infrastructure, mainly pipelines, have had the opposite of their intended effect,” reads the editorial. “Critics of pipelines argue that energy policy shouldn’t be dictated by extreme weather. Maybe, but policy makers can’t ignore it, either. It predictably gets cold in New England.”

Adds the Globe editorial: “The region would have produced less pollution this month, not more, if it had better gas infrastructure.”

Find out more about natural gas and its role in a lower-carbon economy.

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