On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “All In,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) criticized Europe for “doubling down on fossil gas” and stated that prior to the crisis in Ukraine, “Germany had a theory, they had a theory that if Russia depended on Europe for this big supply of money for the sale of its gas, that Russia would always behave itself.”
Merkley stated, “I was thinking back to the conversations I had at the Munich Security Conference years ago and at the Paris Conference. Why is Europe doubling down on fossil gas? Because they know how damaging that is. They said they’re committed to renewable energy — and not only fossil gas, but dependence on Russia. And Germany had a theory, they had a theory that if Russia depended on Europe for this big supply of money for the sale of its gas, that Russia would always behave itself. Well, certainly, what’s happening right now in Ukraine has shattered that assumption, and we see Germany really changing their thinking very quickly.”
He also criticized Germany for going after its nuclear power plants and said that “to save the planet right now, substituting gas for nuclear energy at safe, well-established facilities is a mistake.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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