Who will be responsible for the 'coal to gas' freeze?

Following last winter, a vigorous campaign of "coal-to-gas" was urgently stopped by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in the face of controversy. Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) issued a letter to solicit opinions on issues related to the promotion of clean heating such as "coal-to-gas" and "coal-to-electricity" and clearly put forward the key development of clean coal heating. Biomass heating, no longer coal to gas "one size fits all"! However, behind the great turning point of this policy, who will comfort and hold accountable the skin-deep freeze suffered by millions of people last winter? Today think tanks are concerned that since the State Council issued the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution in 2013, relevant countermeasures have been put forward in various places, and natural gas has been crowned as "clean energy" in an instant. In many places, the "coal to gas" campaign has been carried out on a large scale, and in some places, enterprises have even been forced to "coal to gas" campaign, so this vigorous campaign was pushed to a climax in 2017.

Then, just entering the winter of 2018, the project concerning the lives of hundreds of millions of people suddenly fell into a state of chaos. During the heating period, the infrastructure of gas stations was not completed on time, which led to the inability of residents to heat, and the large-scale "coal to gas" led to the soaring price of natural gas and then turned into a large-scale "gas shortage", which is so important. The large-scale project just started in a hurry when the snow was coming. The boiler was demolished, but the natural gas could not be expected to arrive. Behind all this chaos, have the "meat eaters" sitting in the office blowing warm wind and eager for quick success and instant benefit ever considered the skin-cutting frost of the common people in nine cold days?

Remember Quyang County, Hebei Province at that time, rural schools in many townships were not heating on time, students ran in the cold winter playground to warm up, or had outdoor classes with sunshine, because "under the sun is warmer than indoors" is more appalling, referring to the fact that in the implementation of the "coal-to-gas" one-size-fits-all system, many grass-roots areas hang up various propaganda banners, and some propaganda slogans have a threatening tone, coal-burning and coal-selling need to be "grasped". Some ordinary people's kitchen stoves were demolished, chimneys were blocked and coal sellers were detained. The perfunctory blame of the grass-roots government and the simple and crude enforcement of the law caused public resentment for a time, and the people dared not speak out!

In addition, from the effect of "coal to gas" on improving air quality, domestic scientific research shows that "coal to gas" has not succeeded in Beijing, that is to say, "coal to gas" has not improved the atmospheric environment in Beijing, especially the haze pollution caused by PM2.5. Ni Weidou, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, has calculated that after the conversion of coal to gas in thermal power plants, the nitrogen oxide emission from boilers will not decrease, but will increase and further deteriorate the haze situation. From this point of view, the so-called "clean energy" Laureate of natural gas is in vain!

Today think tank believes that the policy issued by the NDRC can be said to be a substantial change and profound correction of the previous policy of "coal to gas". However, policies can be regulated at any time, but how can the flesh and blood of the people bear the pain brought about by the policy changes day by day? If the government blindly weakens the rigid restraint and result orientation of public power, ignores people's livelihood concerns, arbitrarily acts without accountability and disposal, it is not only a kind of indulgence and blasphemy of public power behind the "meat eaters", but also a kind of disregard and trample on the rights and interests of the people!