NACS Shares Industry's Perspectives on Natural Gas

NACS is joining a diverse group of industry stakeholders at one of three Natural Gas Forums hosted by the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

May 13, 2013

WASHINGTON – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee announced a diverse group of natural gas producers, distributors, utilities, environmental groups, regulators, consumers and exporters who will share their perspectives on natural gas issues at a series of forums beginning this week. 

The committee is holding three public listening sessions over the next two weeks to gather information from stakeholders with an interest in ensuring federal policy evolves to take into account the new supplies of natural gas that have become accessible in recent years. The sessions will be held in a roundtable format to encourage open discussion and allow flexibility to find areas of agreement.

Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have pledged to approach the forums without a predetermined outcome or legislation in mind other than to maximize the economic and environmental benefits of the nation’s natural gas reserves. The series builds on a hearing looking at opportunities and challenges for natural gas that the committee held in February. 

NACS Vice President of Government Relations John Eichberger will speak on behalf of the industry at the Infrastructure, Transportation, Research and Innovation Forum on May 14 at 10:00 am (EDT), which will explore what the next applications are for natural gas and how this new demand will be met. Pipeline infrastructure and increased use of natural gas in the transportation sector will be specific points of interest. The forum will be webcast live on the committee's website, and an archived video will be available shortly after the forum is complete.

“You don’t often see representatives from natural gas drilling companies and chemical producers and conservation groups sit down at the same table in a public forum, but that’s exactly what we’re doing with these round tables,” Wyden said. “If we do this right, natural gas has the potential to lift up our country’s economy and pave the way to a future that has both more jobs and a cleaner environment with a smaller carbon footprint. Senator Murkowski and I want to hear from the people who deal with these issues every day about where there might be common ground on how to maximize the value of this vital resource.”

“Technological advances have allowed us to access vast quantities of natural gas not thought possible just a few years ago. This new energy source is a game changer for the United States, providing an abundant, affordable and clean source of energy to fuel our economy,” Murkowski said. “My interest in holding these roundtables is to ensure that the federal government is supporting, and not thwarting, responsible development of this resource, its transport to market and consumers for power generation and home heating, and its use in the manufacturing and transportation industries, as well as exports to our friends and allies. I look forward to hearing from all of these stakeholders about what’s working, what’s not, and what we can do better.”

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