New Report Calls for Closer Examination of Natural Gas’s Role in a Carbon-Constrained Future
The Center
for Sustainable Energy (CSE) today published a policy paper titled Natural
Gas as a Bridge Fuel – Measuring the Bridge, which recognizes
the role natural gas plays in phasing out the nation’s use of dirtier
fossil fuels, but concludes specific plans are needed to chart a course
away from all fossil fuel use to achieve long-lasting greenhouse gas
reductions.
“With the exception of a few bumps and starts, the nation’s history with
natural gas use has been to consume as much as we can, as quickly as
possible,” said Steve Weissman, CSE’s senior policy advisor and the
paper’s author. “As far as fossil fuels go, gas is perceived to be
cheap, plentiful, versatile and cleaner than coal or oil. However,
continued new investment in gas-fired plants thwarts efforts to
stabilize greenhouse gasses.”
Coupled with ever-growing environmental concerns about large methane
leaks and fracking, the paper suggests a need for policymakers and
regulators to establish firm timelines to nearly eliminate natural gas
from the nation’s energy portfolio for electrical power generation by
2050.
“Given the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s projections, unless
the nation adopts and enacts policies to reduce reliance on natural gas
over the next 35 years, the country will fail to meet long-term targets,
even if it eliminates 100 percent of all other greenhouse gas
emissions,” Weissman said.
The paper concludes that the use of all fossil fuels, including natural
gas, must have limits and deliberate steps can be taken to ensure that
the nation’s natural gas use truly serves as a bridge, rather than a
permanent, unsustainable pathway.
About the Center for Sustainable Energy®
Accelerating the transition to a sustainable world powered by clean
energy
Founded in 1996, the Center
for Sustainable Energy (CSE) is a mission-driven nonprofit,
providing clean energy program design and management, and technical
advising services. Governments, regulators, utilities, businesses,
property owners and others look to CSE as an objective implementation
partner to develop customized solutions that help lower energy costs and
increase consumer choice and accessibility to clean energy technologies.
Headquartered in San Diego, CSE works nationwide with support of offices
in Los Angeles, Oakland, Calif., and Boston. Learn more at energycenter.org
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Copyright Business Wire 2016
Source: Business Wire
(March 30, 2016 - 2:00 PM EDT)
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