Banning Drilling but not Energy

Vermont is proceeding with plans to ban the use of fracking within its borders--although, significantly, not banning the use of natural gas. The fact that there is little natural gas to frack in Vermont has not deterred them. (In a similar spirit they might ban unlicensed deep sea exploration.)

There seems to be a notion here that our energy components are made up of interchangeable parts, that one can be substituted for another seamlessly. A look at Japan is instructive.

As Japan stopped operations recently at its last of formerly 55 operating nuclear plants, Japan reported its carbon emissions jumped 15% since 2010.  Japan had reduced its carbon emissions to 1990 levels but not any longer, after the closure of the nuclear plants.

Getting rid of one energy source means accepting another.