As natural disasters…

As natural disasters continue to wreak havoc on the North American continent with increasing intensity and destruction to human life, infrastructure and the natural world, it is clearly time that natural gas in all its forms must be seriously reduced as an energy fuel to more rapidly bring down damaging GHG emissions which threaten our climate, our world and our future.

It is not clear why our government considers this a good time to increase the use of RNG (a GHG emitting fossil fuel) when it is evident that it is now time to urgently and actively seek out and ramp up the use of zero emission energy systems while there is still time to mitigate the worst climate change disasters.

It is frightening that government leadership seems determined to take the most destructive route available in view of the climate crisis to oversee energy delivery in this province.

Zero emissions Solar, Wind, Battery storage and other zero technologies are clear clean, affordable energy contenders and only require the same support and incentives currently offered to RNG to get their infrastructure in place. (Some of these infrastructures would be in place now had they not been thoughtlessly removed and destroyed at taxpayer expense by our government six years ago. They could have been playing a role in the current energy grid today.)

For example, rather than considering how to support RNG connection polices, consideration should be given to alternatives such as Geothermal systems. A geothermal utility for example could connect residential neighbourhoods and businesses with reliable geothermal district energy systems to heat and cool homes and business spaces. The costs for this reliable, affordable and zero emissions energy could be amortized, if necessary, over the same forty-year period that has been suggested by the RNG corporations. Geothermal energy may also be used for water and space heating.

Electricity produced by wind, solar, battery storage and other zero emitting sources can be put into service to create GREEN hydrogen for sectors and processes which are difficult to electrify.

If government is to take a real leadership role in attempting to mitigate and protect the people of Ontario from the worst ravages of Climate change by making a serious attempt to cut out GHG emissions, they must discontinue further support to expedite the expansion of GHG emitting RNG and put their support and incentives behind sustainable zero emitting energy systems.

For the sake of our future, the government needs to cease their support for RNG expansion projects and instead support the expansion of zero emission energy infrastructure. Approval processes should be streamlined for Geothermal and district energy utilities and other zero emissions infrastructure to support affordable home heating for Ontarians. Incentives and support would be ways to encourage this.

RNG needs to complete its role as a transition fuel in the next five to ten years or less. Its use should be rapidly decreased, and it would be highly dangerous to consider it as playing a role in supporting power system security and resiliency.

Since supposedly higher GHG emitting fuel sources (i.e. coal) were eliminated over a decade ago, RNG is now the chief GHG-emitting fuel source, and it is not logical that it could play a role in offsetting any GHG emissions since it creates them.

There are challenges and opportunities for enhanced energy efficiency and the adoption of a range of zero emissions energy sources ( RNG is not one of them).
Re: Carbon capture: The amount of carbon which would need to be captured to make any significant reduction in the CO2 in the atmosphere is beyond the capacity of this province and country and when affordability is a factor, it is outrageously expensive and possibly dangerous.

Environmental Impact
To equate GHG emitting RNG (a fossil fuel) with any semblance of a clean energy system is dishonest and not even logical
The time for a REAL zero emissions clean energy system is NOW.
Later is too late.

After reading the report I am also puzzled by the claim that we do not have sufficient energy for our own provincial needs, when we are currently selling electricity to American states outside our borders.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond