Former Obama, Trump Energy Secretaries Advocate for Natural Gas
E&E News reported former Energy Secretaries Ernest Moniz and Dan Brouillette said yesterday that the U.S. needs to continue exporting natural gas to support its allies around the world. Other speakers, including officials from Japan and Vietnam, echoed their remarks, saying gas will be important even as more countries try to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and as financiers press the gas industry to curb its pollution.
Natural gas has been widely recognized for its leading role in lowering carbon emissions in the power sector. As E&E notes, gas produces about half as much carbon dioxide as coal when it’s burned for electricity. Continued growth in the natural gas sector will help support the long-term transition to include more renewables in the grid. As depicted by support from both Moniz and Brouillette, curbing carbon emissions and supporting American energy development should not be a partisan matter.
Further, advancements in hydraulic fracturing have helped accommodate the shale boom here in the U.S., allowing producers to safely and affordably access its abundance in key formations such as the Marcellus in Pennsylvania and Permian in Texas. Fortunately, infrastructure developers have invested billions in new pipelines, export terminals, and other facilities to support this growth and play a key role in safely and efficiently transporting the fuel that American consumers and our allies around the globe rely on each day.