In February, the N.C. Utilities Commission gave Duke Energy approval to build two natural gas-fired units at an Asheville power plant. Natural gas is considered a "bridge fuel" between fossil fuels and renewable energy, but experts warn that it can actually be worse than coal for the environment.
Cutting down on coal in Asheville stems from a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but relying on natural gas ignores dangerous emissions of methane.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Robert Howarth, professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University, about the dangers of fracking and the overlooked consequences of natural gas. Howarth is a part of a series of panels called “Fracking Gas, Duke Energy, and Climate Crisis" on Tuesday, March 29 at 12:30 p.m. at the Duke University Law School in Durham and Tuesday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m. at The Friday Center in Chapel Hill., and Wednesday, March 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa.
