HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/3/2019 Item 18, Wilkerson
Purrington, Teresa
From:Lee Wilkerson <lee@whalebirdkombucha.com>
Sent:Tuesday, September 3, 2019 3:39 PM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Supporting the Clean Energy Choice Program
Hi,
I'm contacting you on behalf of Whalebird Kombucha to express our interest and support for the Clean Energy Choice
Program. More particularly the efforts to encourage new construction projects in the City of SLO to move toward
electrification, energy efficiency and more eco-conscious building practices.
I've been working with industrial machinery since I graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2012. From
my perspective, there is no benefit to continuing to invest in infrastructure around a fuel source that is soon to be
obsolete. As the world shifts from traditional 'dirty' energy sources, to renewables, they will be producing electricity, not
gas. This transition is as necessary as it is inevitable, and the social pressure for it will increase exponentially as the
effects of climate change become more present in our lives.
To continue to plumb gas lines into our homes and businesses is a waste of time and money. We are building double
infrastructure (gas and electric) when electrical alone will suffice in 99% of situations. Looking forward into our electric
future, we'll be left with a full grid of underground gas lines that will corrode, leak, and be a huge burden for us.
In other places of the US, you could still make an argument for natural gas as an acceptable fuel source since the
electricity provided likely comes from coal. In SLO county, this argument is invalid and will become more so as we shift
to fully renewables in the upcoming months.
To be fair, there may be a case for extremely energy-intensive industrial processes to rely on natural gases since our
clean energy is somewhat limited, and the large demand could cause us to lean on electrical sources provided from coal.
These cases should be considered individually and should not be applied to the community at large. If natural gas is the
greener option in these instances, it should be considered a temporary solution until we can build a more substantial
renewable energy platform to support the demands.
Natural gas as a fuel source needs to be phased out. Please don't let an endless budget from these large companies
direct us the wrong way down the fork.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind regards,
Lee
--
Lee Wilkerson
Builderman
Whalebird Kombucha
(425) 760-8339
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