By Dan,
posted on Saturday, January 14, 2012.
It's a real motivator in our push toward a clean energy future
when others recognize the benefits of natural gas and endorse the
opportunities it provides. And there may be no greater
endorsement in this country than when it comes directly from the
White House.
To that end, the Obama administration released a 16-page report,
"Investing
in America: Building an Economy That Lasts," on
how this nation can build an economy "that lasts." And in doing so
the White House makes a stirring endorsement of natural gas.
"The surge in domestic natural gas production can lower energy
costs, reduce pollution and drive investment in the industries that
supply equipment to the natural gas sector and those that use
natural gas as an input to production," the report says.
The administration has seized on the discovery of new natural
gas resources and the development of hydraulic fracturing
techniques since the last decade as factors that have "led to
rapidly growing domestic production and relatively low domestic
prices for households and downstream industrial users."
And the White House sees the environmental benefits as well,
labeling natural gas as "the cleanest and least carbon-intensive
for electric power generation."
The natural gas community shares the Obama administration's
stated desire to ensure that natural gas continues to be produced
in a safe and responsible way. That is a central commitment of our
companies. Thanks to the many benefits of responsible natural gas
production, our nation does not have to choose between economic
growth and environmental stewardship.
We "must make investments that will equip our workers to compete
effectively in the global economy, today and tomorrow," the report
says. And indeed it is true that the kind of recovery the White
House is talking about can start with natural gas.