Natural gas use to double

Not really a surprise, but this article summarizing an MIT report headed by Ernest Moniz points out that natural gas is likely to double over the next few decades. That's a good thing because it leads to less than half of the carbon emissions that coal burning does. It's less good because it will mean lots of "fracking" domestically, which (as we saw in Monday's post) can be pretty bad for the environment. It's also less good because it will be associated with an increase in the price of electricity: as much as 30% by 2030. Natural gas is touted as the "bridge" to a better energy system, and it's also important to have somewhere to land once we cross that bridge.