By Regina,
posted on Friday, June 03, 2011.
Time for a pop quiz. Quick- do you know which country
produces the most natural gas? Russia, Venezuela, Iran or the
United States? Ding! Ding! If you answered the United States then
consider yourself a winner. In fact, it is now the established
scientific consensus that the U.S. has more natural gas than Saudi
Arabia has oil. Natural gas is bringing a revolution to the energy
landscape-in communities across the United States and,
increasingly, around the world. And, this opportunity isn't off in
the distant future. It is real. And, it is ready RIGHT NOW to play
a growing role for our economy, our environment and our energy
security.
Natural gas is something that we have in abundance. Yet just a
few years ago, it seemed that any expansion of natural gas would be
tied to increased imports of liquefied natural gas. It was stacking
up to be yet another case of U.S. dependence on foreign sources of
energy. That has changed dramatically with the rise of the U.S.
shale plays - vast deposits of natural gas located a mile or more
below the earth's surface. Technological developments have allowed
us to tap into these previously unreachable resources. Safe
extraction techniques - like hydraulic fracturing - are allowing us
to make use of this clean and abundant fuel source, and will
provide us with enough power supply for generations to come.
Long-term for industrial users, utilities and new transportation
customers, this increased supply means greater price stability…and
abundance that now spans generations. In fact, domestic supply
estimates leaped nearly 60% in just a four-year period.
Conservative estimates now project over a 100 year supply of
natural gas. Natural gas is now produced in 32 states in the U.S.,
and it creates jobs in every state in our union-more than 2.8
million jobs total. The Energy Information Administration, the
Potential Gas Committee, MIT and Cambridge Energy Research
Associates all have arrived at the same conclusion: Our nation now
has enough natural gas right here in America to power our economy
for the long term.
And a surprising fact is that this abundant natural resource is
greatly underutilized. Natural gas makes up the largest portion of
the U.S. power generation fleet, yet only about a quarter of this
gas plant capacity is actually being used today. This means we can
start right now to make a change-and on a substantial scale - with
no waiting around for permits or new construction. What kind of
difference could it make? The Congressional Research Service found
that if we doubled the use of natural gas combined cycle plant
capacity, it would displace nearly 10% of all US CO2 emissions. So
it adds up in a very real way. This is because when used to
generate electricity, natural gas emits half the CO2 emissions of
coal, 80% less nitrogen oxides and virtually no sulfur dioxide,
mercury or particulate matter. This is proof that clean energy and
economical energy are not mutually exclusive terms.
Our clean, job-creating and affordable energy future can start
today with natural gas. Find out more at www.anga.us.