LNG

The American Gas Association (AGA) has filed for a re-hearing and clarification on a regulatory clampdown on interstate natural gas facilities by saying that the greenhouse-gas emissions issue is being misused by government.

The American Gas Association (AGA) has condemned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s new permit process for US natural gas pipelines, saying FERC’s policy change opens the way for emissions criteria to take precedence over the energy needs of ordinary Americans.

The American Gas Association has elected Kimberly S. Greene of Atlanta, Georgia-based Southern Company Gas to Chair the AGA Board for 2022 at a challenging time for the US natural gas industry and a landmark time for the growing LNG export sector.

The American Gas Association, the industry group representing over 200 utility companies delivering natural gas throughout the US, said its members had recently invested $3.8 million per day on energy efficiency programs.

The official Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions has been released showing that annual emissions from the natural gas distribution pipeline system for utilities and latterly to supply LNG export plants had dropped 73 percent in the past 18 years.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) figures for emissions from 1990 to 2018 illustrated the sizeable decline even as natural gas utilities added more than 760,000 miles of pipelines to serve 20 million more customers.

The report noted that distribution systems owned and operated by local natural gas utilities emit only 0.08 percent of produced natural gas.

“The greenhouse-gas emissions from the natural gas distribution system are low and getting lower and we remain committed to further reductions,” said American gas Association President and Chief Executive Karen Harbert.

“As companies continue to modernize our natural gas infrastructure and connect homes and businesses to the system, new opportunities arise to continue to drive down greenhouse gas emissions by leveraging new and existing natural gas infrastructure,” added Harbert.

For more than two decades, the EPA has developed and published estimates of greenhouse-gas emissions in its Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks.

The EPA Inventory represents the most comprehensive assessment of US greenhouse-gas emissions available.

The EPA made further updates to its Inventory released in April 2020.

“The analysis characterized new estimates for methane emissions and the implications for the greenhouse gas profile for natural gas,” said the AGA.

“The Inventory affirms a low methane emissions profile for natural gas distribution systems shaped by a declining trend,” said the industry body.

“Industry-wide natural gas emissions as a rate of production is now 1.0 percent - a level well below even the most stringent thresholds for immediate climate benefits achieved through coal-to-natural gas switching,” stated the AGA.

The AGA said it remained committed to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions through innovation, new and modernized infrastructure, and advanced technologies that maintain reliable, resilient and affordable energy service choices for consumers.

Oct 17 (LNGJ) - The American Gas Association said it is now a co-sponsor of Veterans in Energy, a national initiative encouraging US military veterans to enter the energy industry and to encourage those already there. “For generations, natural gas utilities have served communities and supported families through good paying jobs and the opportunity for career advancement,” said AGA Chairman Ralph LaRossa. “There are thousands of hard-working, dedicated men and women who have served their country on the battlefield and are now looking to begin a new stage of life,” said LaRossa. “Utilities provide an incredible opportunity for them, working to upgrade and maintain the energy infrastructure of the 21st century,” he added.

April 15 (LNG) - The American Gas Association, representing over 200 utilities, said it was pleased to see continued progress towards legislation to help ensure the safety of America’s natural gas pipeline network that will transport feed-gas to US LNG export plants. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unveiled their draft in Washington. “The most important thing that natural gas utilities do is deliver essential energy to our customers safely and reliably,” said Dave McCurdy, AGA President and Chief Executive. “Regulatory certainty is a key part of that process. We appreciate every step towards getting a final pipeline safety reauthorization bill on the President’s desk this year.”