Suggestion 1: REVERSE RECENT DECISION TO BAN NATURAL GAS IN RESIDENTIAL UNITS BECAUSE IT IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE
Reason: The earlier CC decision to ban natural gas in residential units is hugely counterproductive to climate saving objectives because it forces 2x - 3x more burning of natural gas, plus it puts residents at severe health risk by depriving them of a source of heat and cooking fuel during the frequent electric power outages in Menlo Park.
Details: When natural gas is burned in a stove or gas heater, it undergoes only one energy conversion, from natural gas to usable heat. However, to create that same heat at a home using electricity, the very same natural gas WILL BE burned in a gas powered electricity generation unit (gas is the marginal fuel almost all hours of the year) and then the electricity will be converted again to heat; thus this ban forces two (2) energy conversions. Ask your experts, a conversion is at best 40% efficient. Thus, an extra conversion, plus powerline distribution losses, means that the recent ban WILL cause at least 2.5 BTUs of gas to be burned for every 1 BTU of gas otherwise burned at a home. You should reverse this large mistake.
Reason 2: When the electric power goes out in Menlo Park, residents sit and sleep in the cold without any source of fuel to cook, on freezing days, and gas stations cannot pump gasoline, so we cannot leave town. If you have residents interest at heart, you will realize that because our electricity power outages are so severe and frequent, having a natural gas burning stove can be a lifesaving source of heat and cooking fuel. The ban should be reversed because it creates a large threat to life and public health and safety.
Cost: zero
Benefits: ~200% reduction in natural gas burned with the ban, plus public health benefits.
Suggestion 2: Direct Public Works to reach out to PG&E to identify actions City of Menlo Park can take to reduce power outages, and fund them
Reason: Rather than focusing on Climate Change (which is better left to larger agencies), can you please focus on what residents need? What we need is to avoid large and frequent electric power outages, even if we have to pay for them. I have lived in Menlo Park since 1975. I am used to short power outages. But they have grown in length and frequency to the point where people are materially deprived of heat on freezing days. Thankfully my house has a natural gas stove for heat and hot food, but people with all-electric houses have no heat or cooking options for 1 -2 days in the freezing winter! I notice that the City of Burlingame is undertaking its own projects to pay for reliability improvements in the electric power distribution system within its city limits. I suggest it is time for Meno Park to do the same. We should budget doing our own undergrounding, tree pruning/removal, and other measures to be identified by engineers.
Cost: $millions in City funded electric power distribution system reliability improvements
Benefits: we get our lives back 2-4 days per year, and no one risks dying of hypothermia
Louis Deziel
101 Seminary Dr.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
