High heating bills? Thank Greenpeace

The Pioneer Press reports:

If you were wondering how the planet suddenly ran out of natural gas as you sat shivering in your house with the thermostat set at 62 so you could preserve a modicum of your retirement money, just look at a 2003 study from the National Petroleum Council (www.npc.org). You'll learn that there's plenty of natural gas, much of it right here in the U.S. The problem is that environmental groups won't let us get at it.

Today natural gas provides about 25 percent of U.S. energy needs, generates about 19 percent of electrical power, and is used for heating and cooking in more than 60 million homes. The greenies reluctantly embraced natural gas about a decade ago because it is undeniably cleaner and more efficient than oil or coal. But at the same time they were pumping up demand for natural gas they also were restricting supply by blocking any new drilling or added infrastructure to deliver already discovered reserves. This led to the high prices Minnesotans and other Americans are seeing today, something that was predictable two years ago.

Nothing like restricting supply to make people miserable.