Click to TAKE ACTION

As you are probably aware, there is a great debate taking place in Washington D.C. concerning climate change policy. Climate change policy is essentially energy policy – the decisions that will be made over the coming months will shape the ways our nation produces and uses energy. Inevitably, these decisions will have dramatic impacts on every aspect of the oil and gas industry, from the well bore to the burner tip. For the sake of our economy and the environment, it’s important to get the decisions right.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 2425, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, by a very narrow margin earlier this summer. Commonly referred to as the Waxman/Markey bill, the legislation relies on a complicated “cap and trade” system to reduce greenhouse gases. Many experts believe the bill would invite enormous manipulation and economic distortion across the global economy while delaying meaningful emissions reductions for many years.

The focus of the debate is now in the U.S. Senate, where several committees are drafting legislation that could – and should – be substantially different from the House version.

Many believe the Senate should focus on policies that will actually reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the most cost-effective manner - by providing incentives for increased use of natural gas to generate electricity, as a boiler fuel in manufacturing processes, and as a cleaner, less expensive fuel in the transportation sector of our economy.

Studies have shown that switching from coal to natural gas to generate electricity would:
• Reduce greenhouse gases substantially and more quickly than relying on the House bill’s cap and trade system because gas has just half the emissions of coal.
• Utilizing natural gas as a transportation fuel would significantly reduce the cost of transportation for families, businesses and industries, and reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil.
• Also, natural gas supports the development of renewable energy by backing up intermittent wind and solar power.

In addition to its environmental advantages, natural gas is abundant in the United States. With new technology, producers are able to safely and cleanly tap vast reservoirs of natural gas from shale formations in all parts of the country. We have a resource that would last 100 years at current levels of consumption; some experts will tell you the resource could last 150 years. The use of these natural gas supplies will result in the creation of thousands of jobs for Americans and prosperity for our communities which means more home ownership which is key to The American Dream.

In short, domestically produced natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel, and it is abundant and good for the economy. America’s natural gas is a large part if the solution; not a part of the problem. It is time for Congress and the Administration to recognize that simple truth.

America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) an organization of 28 large independent gas producers is fighting hard to turn the tide in Washington. The House vote was a setback, but the pendulum is swinging in their direction as they get the word out that natural gas must be the environmentally friendly fuel of choice. ANGA will make the case for natural gas in the halls of Congress and to the American people. The alliance just launched a new national advertising campaign to spread the word about the abundance of natural gas.

All of us have a stake in this battle. We need for you, your friends, your colleagues and your family to speak out on the issue after reading the sites contents and join us in the effort to secure the nation’s clean energy future.

One of the easiest and quickest ways to make your voice heard on this most critical issue is to tell your members of Congress to include clean natural gas in any climate change legislation. America’s Natural Gas Alliance is providing an easy way to do this.

From ANGA’s Web site, www.anga.us. Click on the “Take Action” tab. You will go to a simple form that will help you identify your representative and senators and provide suggested text for your letter. You can use the suggested text, edit it or write your own letter, and ANGA will forward it to your representatives. ANGA will not share your information or letter with anyone other than your legislator.

In addition, I strongly encourage you to send a similar letter to President Obama. The best way to do this is to send an email to president@whitehouse.gov or a fax to (202) 456-2461. The White House also has a telephone comment line – (202) 456~1111.

* FYI – at 8:36 PST on 10/3/09, I faxed the White House after verifying its fax # on whitehouse.gov and my fax printed out: “No Answer”. Waxman, Feinstein, & Boxer’s faxes all received my ANGA.us Support letters. Makes me wonder about who’s going to answer that 3am call, especially if no ones getting a fax at 10:36pm in D.C. ?!?

Related articles

• What Does the Energy Bill Really Mean for CO2 Cuts? (time.com)
• Obama: Time is running out on climate change (msnbc.msn.com)

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