Replacing Nuclear Plant with Natural Gas? That’s a Solution?04 Feb

With the closing of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, a carbon-free source of electricity, Massachusetts may be unable to reduce green house gas emissions, especially if natural gas-fired electric generation is a replacement for the Pilgrim plant. The Conservation Law Foundation is pursuing this matter. However, they may have neglected  natural gas fugitive emissions.

Conservation Law Foundation: “Massachusetts officials will go to court this week to defend against a lawsuit saying they are not doing enough to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Conservation Law Foundation will argue before the state’s highest court that the administrations of Gov. Charlie Baker (R) and his predecessor Gov. Deval Patrick (D) have not done enough to meet the targets prescribed by Massachusetts’ 2012 climate change law, the Boston Globe reports.”

Natural Gas Fugitive Emissions: Greater quantities of natural gas are being produced for electricity generation in New England. This gas contributes to the greenhouse warming effect far more than carbon dioxide. However, this gas is flowing through aged pipelines, leading to enormous fugitive emissions…Gas companies in Massachusetts own and operate one of America’s oldest natural gas pipeline distribution systems, ranking sixth among state systems in the number of miles of main distribution pipelines made of cast iron or bare steel. These companies have replaced less than 4 percent of their leak- prone pipes per year while billing Massachusetts ratepayers an estimated $640 million to $1.5 billion from 2000-2011 for unaccounted for gas.”

J. H. Everson SBIR Consultant

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About Dr. Everson

Prior to forming this autonomous vehicle consultant practice, Dr. Jeffrey Everson was director of business development for QinetiQ North America’s Technology Solutions Group (previously Foster-Miller, Inc.).

Dr. Everson has been the principal investigator for collision warning systems for automobiles and inner-city transit buses. These programs were awarded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). For his work on developing a collision warning system for inner-city transit buses, Everson was the first U.S. Department of Transportation contractor to win an SBIR Tibbetts Award.

Previously Dr. Everson held senior scientist positions at Battelle Memorial Institute, The Analytic Sciences Corporation (TASC), Honeywell Electro Optics Systems Division, and Itek Optical Systems Division.

He holds a PhD in physics from Boston College and a MS/BS in physics from Northeastern University.

Contact

For more information about how JHEverson Consulting can help your company with autonomous vehicles, please contact Jeff Everson.

JHEverson Consulting is based in the Boston area but consults for clients throughout North America.