James McGarry contends that Dominion Resources' plan to export liquefied natural gas would "damage" the environment and "threaten the economy" ("Exporting natural gas is a bad deal for Maryland" Dec. 4). Both these claims are unequivocally false.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, natural gas produces about half the CO2 emissions as coal. Inexpensive natural gas is the chief reason why energy-related CO2 emissions have been plummeting in the United States.
Making it easier for other coal-using countries to shift to natural gas would have a very positive impact on the environment.
As for the economy, a recent report from ICF International found that LNG exports could generate 9,500 jobs in Maryland alone by 2035 and increase state wages.
Merrill Matthews, Lewisville, Texas
The writer is a research scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation.