More prominent Democrats rebuke Keep-It-In-The-Ground goals as ‘Not possible’

One of them was Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack who had this to say about KIITG’s goals:

“We can’t just flip a switch and say ‘no more fossil fuels, now it’s all renewables.’ That’s not practical, it’s not possible.”

Congressman Loebsack’s comments echo those of Obama Science Advisor John Holdren who recently said, “The notion that we’re going to keep it all in the ground is unrealistic.” They are also right in line with Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, who called KIITG activists “completely impractical.”

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Another voice of reason at the Politico event was Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell who was office while the Marcellus shale revolution was just taking off. The governor was quick to point out that fracking and natural gas are not only beneficial, but also necessary. As Gov. Rendellsaid,

“But if you regulate it [fracking] well, it can be a valuable source of the economy and good for the environment.”

As the former governor pointed out, the switch to natural gas produced through fracking for energy generation has improved air emissions significantly in the United States. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, thanks to the increased use of natural gas, U.S. carbon dioxiode (CO2) emissions from power generation were the lowest in 27 years in 2015. Gov. Rendell elaborated on this point, stating:

“If we can’t frack, we are not going to have natural gas as a source for electricity. So what the alternative?”

He continued,

“And she [the anti-fracking protestor] talked about a bridge. Well, burning natural gas is 40-50 percent less pollutant…so tell me, how is that bad for the environment?”

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In the same breath, former Gov. Rendell also mentioned the ignorance associated with those who are completely anti-fracking, such as activists in the KITTG movement. As he said,

“What’s amazing to me about the anti-fracking people – I’d like to have a conversation with them, but you can’t have a conversation with them.”

He continued, saying that their view of the United States running completely on renewable energy is not possible, so opposing fracking makes no sense. As he mentioned:

“We don’t live in an idealistic world, unless – I’ll make a deal with all the anti-fracking marchers, they can only have electricity 2 hours a day.”

We’re noticing a recurring theme from Democrats: “Keep-It-In-The-Ground” is so far on the fringe, it’s “completely impractical.”

Originally published in EnergyInDepth, July 28