April 2009 Vol. 236 No. 4

Web Exclusive

Campaign to Promote Natural Gas to Public Launches in Texas

A new program is being rolled out in Texas to promote the image of natural gas as environmentally friendly and healthy for U.S. national security, in hopes of boosting its popularity with consumers and policymakers.

The program, called “The Natural Gas Advantage,” is the work of The Foundation for Energy Education, an affiliate of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, and is undertaken in partnership with the Offshore Energy Center.

According to the program’s sponsors, the reluctance of the marketplace and policymakers to endorse widespread natural gas usage in the past reflected a serious concern about declining U.S. gas production. However, the supply situation has improved dramatically in recent years as new technologies have unlocked vast quantities of gas trapped in tight rock formations and newly discovered fields. The Barnett Shale and the Haynesville play in Texas and Louisiana have fortified the market with excess supplies.

“Given this new environment, it is imperative that the industry promote natural gas aggressively for power generation, transportation and a variety of other uses,” said Foundation Chairman Jim Beck. “A critical part of the challenge ahead will be to overcome past skepticism about supply availability, and assure the marketplace, as well as policymakers, that there is an adequate natural gas supply to meet future long-term needs.”

At a time when global warming is on center stage in the U.S. Congress and in state legislatures all across America, the Natural Gas Advantage program’s mission is to promote gas as an effective solution to energy and environmental challenges. Texas produces 25% of all U.S. natural gas output, and it is the leading gas producer in the nation. Texas gas reserves account for almost 30% of total U.S. gas reserves, and the Texas economy consumes 20% of all gas used in the United States.

For further information contact Pat French, president of the Foundation for Energy Education, or Kurt Abraham, vice president, at 713-529-6707 and foundation@texasalliance.org.