Letters to the Editor for Oct. 4, 2021: Stakes are high for city gas utility’s future | Letters

The stakes are high for

The future of the city gas supplier

If the Richmond City Council indicates its intention to eliminate the Richmond Gas Works, as it did with a September 13 resolution, that decision doesn’t stop at the city limits. Tens of thousands of Henrico and Chesterfield residents and businesses are also served and dependent on this urban public utility.

The unanimous decision promised a series of aggressive measures by the city to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including recognizing the city’s utility as “an obstacle to the city’s goal of achieving net zero emissions”.

Utilities should have a legal obligation to provide services. I was their client when I was living in a North Side condo in town and then discovered that they were still my service provider here in west Henrico. Getting rid of my gas oven and water heater costs $ 10,000 or more. This is an intake.

It is also a direct result of all the promises made by the General Assembly. In two years, several bills have made the elimination of natural gas for all uses a major government goal.