Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R) took to social media this week to comment on the natural gas shortage that Europe is facing. For months the International Energy Agency has warned that the shortage could lead to catastrophic results, and it appears that Europe will continue to face hurdles. On Twitter, Crenshaw shared a series of posts discussing the shortage and why Europe is hurting.
Sharing a New York Times article that discusses Germany’s energy crisis, the article explains that many have turned to chopping wood and stocking up.
“With the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, there’s a supply shortage of natural gas, and prices are skyrocketing,” Crenshaw said, going on to write that “about a decade ago, European governments began to subsidize wood to encourage citizens to move away from using oil and gas to power their homes.” Subsequently, there was “a huge market for wood pellets,” but it “eventually grew out of control.”
Crenshaw further argued that the subsidies did more harm than good, saying that “wood biomass because the number one ‘renewable energy source’ in the EU” and that “recent data has it listed as comprising almost 60% of renewables in Europe.”
Though the venture was meant to be more environmentally friendly, it “turns out that wood is terrible for the climate, literally bulldozes protected environments 9so much for being climate-friendly), and decreases air quality – aka it’s bad for your health,” Crenshaw commented.
The Texas Republican, citing the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, shared that “burning wood actually releases more carbon dioxide per unit of energy than some fossil fuels – 2.5x more than natural gas.”
And, per the NYT, many of the wood pellets that end up being burnt in Western Europe originate from protected forests in Central & Eastern Europe. So, what are the main takeaways here? https://t.co/DtLLes30AF
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) December 26, 2022
Crenshaw warned that government intervention continues to hurt the country and that it changes incentives.
His comments come at a time when lawmakers around the country cannot find common ground on environmental concerns.
2. Europe might want to think about importing a lot more natural gas, and we should be actively trying to sell it them (got that Mr. President?) Compared to the wood being burnt across Europe, natural gas is better for your health AND the health of the planet.
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) December 26, 2022
