Americans want natural gas

As a former member of Congress and political moderate, I thought I’d seen most of the propaganda tactics employed by the political extremes to sway public opinion and achieve political outcomes. However, I am amazed and disappointed at the level of demagoguery employed by the environmental left to twist the facts to suit their narrative of our energy future. As someone who believes climate change is real and a long-time champion of renewables, I think the latest efforts to denigrate natural gas and drive policy through scare tactics are deplorable. I could not stand by and witness their efforts to use loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response. This conversation and our nation, deserves a fact-based dialogue and a common sense approach.

Natural gas remains a foundation fuel for the U.S. energy economy and has been the key to unlocking the most substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the nation’s history. Policymakers at every level are trying to figure out how to use more natural gas to meet our economic and environmental needs.

{mosads}Most recently, the propaganda surrounded some expected data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration that carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas are expected to surpass those from coal for the first time since 1972.  In fact, this is a welcome development that shows how the increased use of natural gas is consistent with, and supports, a lower carbon future.

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas are likely to surpass coal this year as fuel use patterns change. This is not cause for alarm. Natural gas emissions growth is only half of coal’s decline. The result is total carbon dioxide emissions have fallen below 5.2 billion metric tons – the lowest level since 1992.

A massive change is underway in the U.S. electric power sector. Substantial amounts of coal-to-gas switching has taken place alongside the growth in renewable electricity.  Between 2007 and 2015, the amount of electricity generated at coal-fired power plants declined more than 30 percent. Natural gas and renewables have filled that gap, with natural gas providing about two-thirds of the electricity to plug the hole left by coal; renewables made up the other third.

It’s the evolution away from coal and towards natural gas and renewables that has propelled the U.S. to the lowest annual carbon dioxide emissions in decades.

Methane, another important greenhouse gas and the primary component of natural gas, has also been on the decline. Industry-wide natural gas system methane emissions are down 15 percent over the past two and a half decades and natural gas utilities in particular have been a leading force contributing to this decline. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, methane emissions from gas utility systems dropped 74 percent since 1990, even as natural gas utility companies expanded the system to serve 18 million more customers. No small feat, this exceptional record is a result of decades of gas utility investments to improve safety and upgrade infrastructure through risk-based integrity management programs.  Furthermore, best practices constantly being implemented and research and development underway will continue to drive down methane emissions.

The potential for U.S. natural gas as an important tool in the suite of greenhouse gas emissions reduction options is reflected in the Obama Administration’s policies. Natural gas is the foundation of the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) to limit carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. Natural gas use will increase as states move to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electric power generation. Natural gas has repositioned the U.S. as a credible leader in global efforts to reduce emissions. U.S. commitments submitted to the international climate negotiations last December in Paris include Administration policies, like the CPP, that rely on natural gas to achieve emissions reductions. Natural gas is necessary for the United States to make progress toward the ambitious emissions reduction target set in Paris. Thinking about it a different way: if it weren’t for natural gas, the scope and cost of the Administration’s efforts would be far less ambitious.

But there is something more that the detractors of natural gas do not seem to grasp – Americans want natural gas to heat their homes, warm their water and cook their food. More homes and businesses use natural gas today than ever before as affordable and stable prices drive the economic case for its comfort and reliability.

The popularity and environmental benefits of using natural gas for these applications is separate and apart from the incredible progress being made in lowering emissions from the generation of electricity. Households with natural gas versus all-electric appliances produce 37 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, they save an average of $840 per year on their bills. If you include the lower cost of goods from cheaper fuel, low-priced natural gas put $1,337 back in the pocket of the average American family.

From local economic development boards to the halls of Congress, the discussion about our energy future must include ways to extend the benefits of natural gas to unserved and underserved homes and businesses. It provides incredible advantages to American consumers. There are cynical ideologues that would lead you to believe that our energy choices are all or nothing. They push a view that there is a war between natural gas and other energy sources. The opposite is true. Greater use of natural gas is reducing emissions and enabling the growth of renewable energy, and new technologies that will power a cleaner and more prosperous future.

Dave McCurdy is the president and CEO the American Gas Association (AGA) which represents more than 200 local energy utility companies that deliver natural gas to 177 million Americans nationwide. He served for 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as the Member from the 4th District of Oklahoma.

The views expressed by authors are their own and not the views of The Hill.