By Dan,
posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2011.
Over the course of the week we are told some 2,600 people will
attend the CERAWEEK conference, and today they are getting great
information on the very positive outlook for natural gas.
Scott Sheffield, CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources Company, said
shale oil and natural gas will be "the big game changer" adding
what we are doing in the U.S. "can be transferred around the
world." Sheffield, who spoke on a panel called Affordability,
Reliability, Sustainability: Balancing the Imperatives, said that
hydraulic fracturing was safe, and it has been safe for more than
60 years. He predicted market stability for this clean, domestic
energy source thanks to its abundance. And he warned that policies
that slow natural gas development could halt momentum for this
resource, just when it stands to help us the most.
Sheffield was not alone in his enthusiasm for natural gas. Marvin
Romanow, president and CEO of NEXEN Inc., who spoke on Sheffield's
panel said shale gas "has delivered a big gift to consumers."
And Guy Buckley, VP for Corporate Development for Spectra Energy,
said earlier in the day that maybe instead of the Shale Gale
moniker CERA has attached to natural gas, we should call it a
"steady wind" because "it's not passing over us."
Buckley's comments were quite promising on a number of levels.
He called natural gas the "right asset at the right time." He said
it was environmentally sustainable, could be developed economically
and would lead to energy independence right here in America.
Buckley is precisely on the mark here. He also said that pipeline
infrastructure was already in place to substantially increase
demand for gas in the power sector.
So what do we take from these sessions? That natural gas is safe,
has environmental benefits, is available in abundant supplies, and
is ready now to help the United States move towards a clean and
secure energy future.