Nat Gas Now: The Case for Natural Gas
- Nat Gas Now: The Case for Natural Gas
- Friday, Jun 3
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.
