American Gas - July 2013 - (Page 44)

Partnering with a number of advocacy and research organizations, AGA has placed itself in the company of those seeking accurate data and realistic information about the future of natural gas By christopher B. mcGill h e a dway FrAminG A FAct-BASed SeArch S ince early on in the shale gas revolution, AGA has recognized the need to plant a stake in the ground when it comes to the national conversation on the future of natural gas. In our landmark fall 2012 report, “The Promise of Natural Gas,” we first laid out the basic parameters of our policy position: that we envision a natural gas marketplace configured around strong domestic supply and relative price stability, with the recognition that opportunities exist for it to stimulate our economy while also protecting our environment. Over the past several months, that study has become a kind of touchstone for us, as we’ve worked to continue to represent a centrist, steadfastly objective view—or what Paula Gant, senior vice president, policy and planning, at AGA, likes to call the “radical middle”—in the national energy debate. Since then, however, we’ve increasingly been finding that we’re not alone there, as we’ve joined with other organizations in a series of efforts to further explore the big energy policy questions facing this country. In doing so, we have served the ultimate goals of safety and reliability in our industry. When the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), for example, was embarking on a study of how to leverage natural gas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we were able to support them by expanding the study’s scope beyond just the transportation, manufacturing, and power generation sectors. The final report—issued by C2ES in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin—presents the environmental benefits of using natural gas in homes and buildings (for more on this study, see page 12). In addition, when the Bipartisan Policy Center was looking for ways to reach some consensus on the issue of LNG exports and the potential impact on the U.S. economy, and the natural gas market more specifically, we were one of many organizations that helped BPC develop a sound, factual interpretation of cur- 44 AmericAn GAs july 2013 rent information and data. That study, released earlier this year, showed that LNG exports are a market opportunity rather than a market buster—findings that have been broadly reviewed, supported, and quoted. Prior to the release of these reports, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy used, among others, several AGA sources from the past several years to demonstrate how natural gas can help advance energy efficiency and renewables in its Sustainable Energy in America Fact Book 2013. This information resource paints a portrait of an American energy landscape in which renewables and natural gas work together for a healthier, more prosperous future. Now, we’ve signed on as a sponsor of a methane emissions study by the Environmental Defense Fund and lead researchers from Washington State University and West Virginia University. We know that AGA member companies have been a major factor in limiting methane emissions within the natural gas value chain—by improving the infrastructure from the city gate to the burner tip. Through this study, we look forward to establishing hard data on that issue. The key to the success of all these efforts has been engaging with partners that are trying to clearly define fact-based information and data interpretation, not just push an extreme position or opinion. We’ve found them not by happenstance, but by constantly being on the ground, interacting with others in the energy debate. There are myriad voices forwarding ideas about energy in this country today, and too many of them are on the fringe. At AGA, we’ll continue to search out and lend our support to those groups that are as committed as we are to a responsible and sustainable vision for natural gas well into the future. That way, we can always be confident that our metaphorical stake in the ground remains planted on the firmest of footings. u Chris McGill is vice president, policy analysis, at AGA.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - July 2013

American Gas - July 2013
Contents
President’s Message
Subject Index
Shining a Light for Gas Efficiency
Digest
Issues
Issues
Update
Need to Know
By the Numbers
Places
Scratch, Sniff—Evacuate?
Capitol Hill
Cape Canaveral
The Corner Office
AGA Ops Conference
Elm Street
Work in Progress
Profile
For Good Measure
Law
Jobs
Marketplace
Buyer’s Guide
Headway

American Gas - July 2013