USEA Virtual Press Briefing: What is Going On with Gas?

Video recording of the session at the bottom of this post, along with open Q&A discussion from the session taking place actively on the Energy Central Community:

Despite a huge growth in renewables, natural gas remains the core fuel in the U.S. utility mix. 

In March and April, wind beat out coal as a utility fuel, but natural gas accounted for slightly more than 43 percent of U.S. electricity generating in that same time frame, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

What is going on with gas? That is the question the United States Energy Association posted at its most recent press briefing on Sept. 4.

A panel of senior reporters, from The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, E&E News, Energy Central and PBS, questioned experts in natural gas on its promise and challenges, including those in supply, distribution and the environment.

Has gas dethroned coal as the king of fuels for a period to come or are renewables gaining in their quest for the crown? 

At the last USEA virtual press briefing, it emerged that battery storage is bringing new stability to wind and solar. Is this a threat to the dominance of gas over the next two decades?

Pipelines are thwarted, permitting is brutal and there is a determined effort to demonize gas for its contribution to global warming, even though it is cleaner by far than coal. New England has to import liquified gas because needed pipelines have been disallowed. Methane leakage is decreasing, but it is seen as a problem in export markets.

Certainly, there are powerful environmental forces seeking to restrict and end the use of gas domestically and crimp the growing and attractive trade in exported natural gas — also an important U.S. foreign-policy tool.

Briefings are free and open to the press and the public.

The Experts:

• Benjamin Lakatos, CEO, Founder and Majority Owner of MET Group, Zug, Switzerland
• Dena Wiggins, President and CEO, Natural Gas Supply Association
• David Greely, Chief Economist and Head of Research, Abaxx Exchange
• Richard Mroz, Consultant and former President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
• C. Jeffrey Eshelman, President and CEO, Independent Petroleum Association of America

• Joey Mashek, Leader, Sales and Strategy, Burns & McDonnell

• Representatives from the Energy Information Administration and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are pending.

The Journalists:

• Matt Chester, Energy Central
• Ken Silverstein, Forbes
• Peter Behr, E&E News
• Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal
• Adam Clayton Powell III, PBS

Ongoing Q&As Taking Place Post Session on EnergyCentral.com: 

[coming soon]