Ten Talking Points for Use of Natural Gas

Ten Talking Points for Use of Natural Gas

Emission Reduction

  1. Power Sector: Increased use of natural gas is the single largest factor in power sector emissions reductions reaching 25 year lows (AGA Playbook)
  2. Distribution Systems: Emissions from the natural gas distribution systems have declined 73% since 1980. (AGA Playbook)
  3. Gas Venting/Flaring: The US EPA’s most recent release of greenhouse gas inventory for the period of 2013-2016 showed oil production up by 19% but associated gas venting and flaring emissions for the same period was down by 17% (Texans for natural gas)
  4. Appalachian Basin Methane Reduction: The Appalachian Basin – America’s largest natural gas producing region and the world’s third largest – experienced a 379 percent increase in production and 82 percent decrease in methane emissions intensity from 2011-2017. Methane emissions from production in the basin fell from 5.3 MMT to 4.7 MMT. (NOAA Study)
  5. Advance Technology: In California, more than 50% of the methane emissions come from less than 10% of the sources. These “super emitters” can be rapidly identified by advanced technologies and repaired in rapid fashion (CARB)

RNG

  1. RNG Use In Natural Gas Distribution System: Renewable natural gas (RNG) takes methane from landfills, wastewater treatment and agricultural processes that would traditionally be emitted into the atmosphere as a byproduct of these processes and repurposes it for use in the natural gas pipeline and distribution systems. (UtilityDive)
  2. More RNG Use: SoCalGas has made a commitment to replace 20% of its traditional natural gas supply with RNG by 2030. A studyby Navigant Consulting found that replacing 16% of California’s natural gas supply with RNG would cut greenhouse gas emissions as much as converting all state buildings to electric-only energy by 2030

Energy Cost Saving

  1. Cost Saving Using Natural Gas: Households that use natural gas for heating, cooking and clothes drying save an average of $874 per year compared to homes using electricity for these tasks. (AGA)

Energy Reliability and Economic Stability

  1. Energy Reliability and Economic Stability: Relying on electricity alone would make citizens, businesses, hospitals, and schools far more vulnerable to wildfires, extreme heat, and international cyberattacks on the power grid. Banning gas removes the backstop so crucial for energy reliability and economic stability. (Energy Choice Matter-LA Daily News Opinion Piece)

Energy Independence

  1. Energy Independence: USA energy production in 2019 was higher than U.S. energy consumption for the first time in 62 years.  Thus, the U.S. attained the long-held goal of “energy independence”—which is not to say that we did not import or export energy, but that we produced more energy than we used. We are no longer dependent on foreign sources of energy to meet our country’s needs. These foreign sources are frequently adversarial and the concept of being self-reliant means more now than ever in the COVID-19 era.