Politics Once Again Stands in the Way of Sensible Energy Solutions

In energy policy, political polarization often gets in the way of common-sense solutions to problems.General Electric recently announced a technological advance that would allow pipeline companies to use drone-mounted cameras to inspect their lines for corrosion and leaks. This is a development that could, with the right regulatory support, make huge strides toward preventing costly spills and solving other problems afflicting America's aging pipelines.But it won't go anywhere if conservatives don't acknowledge those problems and if liberals can't find a way to accept pipelines.The federal agency charged with overseeing pipeline safety, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, is chronically underfunded and weak. For many years, Republican opposition has prevented Congress from giving the agency the resources it needs and from mandating the kind of inspection made easier by innovations in remote sensing, such as the GE drone system.Meanwhile, pipeline spills have galvanized anti-pipeline activism, including that faced by the Keystone and Dakota Access pipeline projects. If activists are concerned mainly about spills and leaks, regulation aimed at better leak detection and prevention ought to be welcome. But some anti-pipeline activism is part of a larger movement aimed at weaning the American economy off of fossil fuels entirely — and as quickly as possible. By strategically targeting pipelines, activists aim to restrict the ability of sellers to supply customers with natural gas and oil.The implicit assumption is that shutting down such projects will help boost cleaner sources of energy, which are placed at an unfair disadvantage by the market's failure to fully price in the environmental damage associated with fossil fuel pollution. That is true enough.But it is also true that when pipeline opponents kill a project, there are often unintended consequences, including environmental opportunity costs. Some of the oil that would have been transported through a pipeline will be shipped by rail instead, increasing the risk of a spill. Some of the natural gas that would have been transported through a pipeline will be burned off into the atmosphere, generating additional greenhouse gases. Fewer pipelines will make natural gas more expensive, causing utilities to burn more coal. For their part, the fossil fuel industry and Republican politicians feed the opposition by blocking even the most timid and cost-effective efforts to address problems such as methane leakage. In doing so, they cause unnecessary harm to the environment and public health, while undercutting moderates whose views are probably shared by most of the voting public.The Environmental Defense Fund, for example, has worked with scientists and industry to study the climate impacts of methane leakage, to taunts of "sellout" from more strident environmental groups. The EDF advocates simple, reasonable regulatory solutions to the leakage problem, some of which are the equivalent of caulking your windows to keep out the cold.Drones and other remote sensing devices make common-sense solutions easier than ever and would undermine activists' claims that natural gas is no better for the climate than coal. On the other hand, acknowledging the desirability of reducing methane leakage is anathema to climate-change deniers in the GOP and to companies that would prefer not to be regulated at all.So, it's complicated but not that complicated. As long as Americans continue to reward politicians, interest groups and news sources that mislead us about energy issues, those groups will continue to mislead us.Perhaps with time Americans will become more sophisticated consumers of information about risk trade-offs in the energy sector and will learn to regard simple messages like "Fossil fuels GOOD!" or "Fossil fuels BAD!" with suspicion. Until then, those messages will continue to dominate (and warp) the energy policy debate.David Spence is a professor of law, politics and regulation at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches in the McCombs School of Business and the School of Law. Email: david.spence@mccombs.utexas.eduWhat's your view?Got an opinion about this issue? Send a letter to the editor, and you just might get published.  Continue reading...

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