American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2019 - 25

staff rationales for proposed
membership, as called for by EPA's
established process."
EPA agreed with the second finding
and GAO's recommendation, but not
the first, Gomez added.
On Oct. 31, 2017, then EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a
directive on how members of the
agency's federal advisory committees
should be selected. Among the new
criteria, according to the agency's
news release, was that no members
could currently be in receipt of any
EPA grants to avoid conflicts of
interest and ensure advisory
committee members were financially
independent from the agency.
That policy change caused U.S.
Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.,
and Tom Carper, D-De., to accuse EPA
of installing "industry scientists and
consultants to help guide the EPA's
scientific decision making to favor
polluting industries."
In his testimony, Gomez said GAO
did observe that "members with an
academic affiliation serving on the
Science Advisory Board decreased by
27 percentage points."
It was Whitehouse and Carper who
requested the GAO investigation, along
with Senators Edward Markey, D-Ma.,
Brian Schatz, D-Hi., Bernie Sanders, IVt., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Mazie
Hirono, D-Hi., Gary Peters, D-Mi.,
Michael Bennett, D-Co., and Sherrod
Brown, D-Oh., according to a statement
released by Whitehouse and Carper. ❒

the five-year average and 82 Bcf more
than the 568 Bcf in storage on June 28,
which was 2.6% below the five year average. July 19 gas storage in the Midwest Region was 128 Bcf more than a
year ago.
In the Mountain Region, EIA says,
gas storage was 151 Bcf on July 19,
12.2% below the five-year average and
17 Bcf more than the 134 Bcf stored on
June 28, which was 16.3% below the
five year-average. Gas storage in the
Mountain Region was 6 Bcf more than
a year ago.
Gas storage in the Pacific Region was

271 Bcf on July 19, 7.8% below the fiveyear average and 16 Bcf more than the
255 Bcf stored on June 28, which was
10.8% below the five-year average. Pacific Region gas storage on July 19 was
up 15 Bcf from a year ago.
In the South-Central Region, gas storage levels on July 19 were 921 Bcf, 7.3%
below the five-year average and up 14
Bcf from the 907 Bcf in storage on June
28, which was 7.1% below the five-year
average. The July 19 gas storage level for
the South-Central Region was up 98 Bcf
from a year ago. ❒

Gas Storage Levels
Reach 2.6 Tcf July 19
WASHINGTON-Underground natural gas storage in the United States
stood at 2.568 trillion cubic feet on July
19, 5.6% below the five year average,
according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That was up 178
billion cubic feet from the 2.390 Tcf in
storage on June 28, which was 6.0%
below the five-year average. The July
19 storage number was 298 Bcf more
than a year ago, when gas storage stood
at 2.270 Tcf.
According to EIA, gas storage in the
East Region was 575 Bcf on July 19,
4.8% below the five-year average, but 49
Bcf more than on June 28, when storage
stood at 526 Bcf, which was 1.9% below
the five-year average. East Region gas
storage on July 19 was 51 Bcf more than
it was a year ago.
Gas storage in the Midwest Region
stood at 650 Bcf on July 19, 0.9% below
AUGUST 2019 25

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American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2019

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