Medium Dave

Compressed Natural Gas: Key to American Energy Independence?

Well, the problem in the USA, as I explained above, is natural gas supply. The US only produces about 80% of the gas it uses (for heating, cooking, electrical generation, chemicals, etc.) and has to import the rest, mainly from Canada. It is unrealistic to think that we could begin powering millions of vehicles with natural gas, on top of that.

By the way, about the "American Clean Skies Foundation" study that some have alluded to... the ACSF is not a genuine environmental organization. It's a creation of the natural gas industry, as this article from the Washington Post explains:

www.washingtonpost.com...

The study is basically industry propaganda intended to counter the "clean coal" movement (which I agree is silly). Since coal advocates are fond of claiming that the US has decades or centuries of coal reserves, the NG folks had to have a counter-claim. So they came up with this absurdly optimistic figure of 118 years of gas reserves. I challenge anyone to find an independent energy analyst who actually believes this figure.

And I'm sorry; I actually wish it were true. But for planning our energy future we need hard facts, not wishful thinking.

Compressed Natural Gas: Key to American Energy Independence?

Mr. Pickens, unsurprisingly, stands to make a great deal of money from his natural gas holdings if the Pickens energy plan works out the way he proposes. I don't begrudge him the right to profit from his investments, and I do appreciate that he's raising public awareness of these issues. But he's hardly impartial.

Compressed Natural Gas: Key to American Energy Independence?

<i>...then tell me what you think about our domestic NG reserves</I>

What I think is that a study comissioned by a NG industry front group should be taken with a big grain of salt.

Compressed Natural Gas: Key to American Energy Independence?

paulk8756 - The thing is, it's easy to make optimistic assumptions about the future supply of NG, and the EIA has a history of doing just that with both NG and oil. Do actual production figures support the idea that US reserves have doubled in the last decade? No, they don't. Gas production has been more or less flat during that period. Also, the price signals contradict it. NG prices have been rising for years... it hasn't been as dramatic as the rise in oil prices, but the trend is unmistakable. In short, the observable facts do not support the claim that we have vast supplies.

Compressed Natural Gas: Key to American Energy Independence?

From a supply point of view, it makes no sense to contemplate powering vehicles with natural gas. North American gas production isn't what it used to be, and there is little chance of vastly expanding it. Importing liquified NG from overseas would be very expensive, and there are few facilities for handling it anyway. We should not create a situation in which we're forced to choose between powering our cars and heating our homes.