02/04/2021
Statement from 350 Pensacola executive director Sandra Adams on deceptive practices of Gulf Power:
****MEDIA ADVISORY****
February 3, 2021
350 Pensacola joins the call for Gulf Power to stop the deception
PENSACOLA—350 Pensacola joins with others calling on Gulf Power Co. to stop misleading its customers with deceptive marketing practices. The company recently announced a new name for its Pensacola electric generating facility--the Gulf Clean Energy Center—as the plant switches to natural gas as its fuel source. This renaming comes despite the fact that natural gas is not considered clean energy by the U.S. Department of Energy or other energy organizations and experts.
“Saying this facility runs on clean energy is a bit like saying a pack of ci******es delivers clean nicotine,” says 350 Pensacola Executive Director Sandra Adams. “The facts are that this plant runs on natural gas, a nonrenewable fossil fuel that negatively impacts the environment and public health throughout its entire life cycle”.
Our friends at Healthy Gulf have provided an excellent summary of the science behind natural gas and its use by Gulf Power:
“The Gulf Power facility runs entirely on natural gas, a potent greenhouse gas that scientific research has found may not be any cleaner than coal in terms of fueling a warming planet that is bringing a host of damaging impacts to the Gulf coast1.
The term "clean energy" is widely used by entities such as the U.S. Department of Energy to refer to renewable sources of energy that do not emit greenhouse gases, such as wind, solar, and geothermal energy. But the Gulf Power facility uses natural gas--also known as methane—which, in addition to releasing carbon dioxide when burned (though less than coal), is itself a greenhouse gas that is nearly 90 times more damaging than carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 20 year period in its ability to trap heat and warm the planet.
Natural gas leaks, during its mining and distribution, in amounts large enough to cancel out much or all of its advantage over coal in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, leading to tremendous concern among researchers and policymakers working on solutions to climate change.
Additionally, the natural gas burned at the Gulf Power facility mostly comes from a destructive form of extraction known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking, a process that contaminates surrounding land and water, uses vast quantities of groundwater and is blamed for human health impacts such as preterm births, asthma, migraine headaches, nasal and sinus symptoms, skin disorders and other conditions3,4.
Floridians are increasingly savvy about their energy choices, and polling shows that the vast majority favor solar energy above all others.” 5
“I, and most of our organization’s supporters are Gulf Power customers,” says Adams, a resident of Navarre. “With the citizens having granted Gulf Power monopoly status, the least they can do is to be truthful with their own customers, as we do not have a choice in where we buy electricity.”
Sandra Adams
Executive Director, 350 Pensacola
350 Pensacola is a nonprofit organization that works to educate and advocate for action on climate change. For more information contact executive director Sandra Adams at: [email protected]
Sources:
Natural gas is a much dirtier energy source than we thought
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/.../super-potent.../
2. National Climate Assessment
https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/
3. Fracking produces ⅔ of nation’s natural gas
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=26112
4. Fracking impacts on human health
https://www.ehn.org/health-impacts-of-fracking-2634432607...
5. Floridian’s views on energy
https://www.cleanenergyconservatives.com/.../Florida.
