I write concerning your recent article, “Ohio GOP leadership shrugs off dark money behind bill rebranding gas as ‘green energy.’” The U.S. Energy Information Administration states, “Natural gas is a fossil fuel energy source. Natural gas contains many different compounds. The largest component of natural gas is methane.”
While a spokesman for State Sen. Huffman is quoted as characterizing methane as “clean,” “clean” is a relative term and methane is only “clean” when compared to coal. Methane is dangerous, a potent greenhouse gas many times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. We should seek ways of limiting methane, not downplaying its dangers.
As the article mentioned, “Natural gas is not green energy, and just because someone says it’s so doesn’t make it so.” Unfortunately, as the article also points out, great sums of money are flowing from industries profiting from our fossil-fuel addiction through “dark money” entities — with the aim of killing competition.
When State Sen. Huffman’s campaign was revealed to have taken thousands of dollars from entities associated with the bribery of state officials, he stated to The Lima News, “This is an extraordinary situation, and it’s something we’ve been discussing with the folks in our caucus. I think there’s an obligation to donate some of that money we’ve received over the last couple of years to charity. We’re just trying to figure out how to do that.” His true obligation was to have refused the money in the first place.
And nothing has changed: “Legislative policy is being passed at the behest of corporations. Which we should not be surprised about at this point, but it’s disturbing.”
Michael Wildermuth
Lima
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