Will Natural Gas Fuel America in the 21st Century?

Will Natural Gas Fuel America in the 21st Century?

Posted by nate hagens on May 14, 2011 - 5:39pm
Topic: Supply/Production

This is Richard Heinberg's Foreward to the new report 'Will Natural Gas Fuel America in the 21st Century?' by Post Carbon Fellow David Hughes. Download the report here (13MB).
Post Carbon Institute undertook this report in order to examine three widespread assumptions about the role that natural gas can and should play in our energy future:

• Assumption #1: That, thanks to new techniques for hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling of shale, we have sufficient natural gas resources to supply the needs of our country for the next 100 years.
• Assumption #2: That the price of natural gas, which has historically been volatile, will remain consistently low for decades to come.
• Assumption #3: That natural gas is much cleaner and safer than other fossil fuels, from the standpoint of greenhouse gas emissions and public health.

Based on these assumptions, national energy officials at the Energy Information Administration (EIA) foresee a major expansion of natural gas in the coming decades.