Unnatural Gas

I know it has been a while since we’ve discussed the energy crisis in class but lately I have seen a lot of advertisements for “New Natural Gas.” The very well made advertisements are getting the “facts” out about energy. Calling natural gas, “the cleaner, smarter energy,” the solution to this oil mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.

America’s Natural Gas Alliance is standing on the concept that natural gas is clean, domestic, abundant, and cost effective. Clean because natural gas emits 50% less CO2 than coal, 30% less CO2 than oil, its vehicles reduce (?) carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions. They flaunt that the natural gas industry employs millions of Americans and say 97% of the gas used by the US comes from North America. They say, “natural gas is an affordable and readily available, long term solution to power generation, home heating, and industrial use.” As for abundance, they have more than a one hundred year supply of natural gas.

As for alternative sources of renewable energy, their position is kind of unclear. A commercial for New Natural Gas suggested that wind and solar energy is inefficient, expensive, and unrealistic. The “facts” as presented on their website claim that the use of natural gas will provide a foundation for those renewable energy sources to grow.

In The Party’s Over, Richard Heinberg presents the opposite proposing that natural gas may “compound” the problem. The ANGA is right when they say natural gas burns cleaner, the problem is that this “alternative” still produces CO2 that’s pollutions our planet. While oil wells deplete slowly, gas wells plateau only to crash quickly. It is also assumed that the abundance of natural gas is questionable. To allow our country to continue to be dependent on a finite resource is a big mistake; especially when its availability is uncertain. On this I agree with Heinberg, “Any attempt to shift to natural gas as an intermediate fuel would simply waste time and capital in the enlargement of an infrastructure that will soon be obsolete anyway” (143). There must be another way- sustainable and clean.

Sources:

All ANGA information

http://www.newnaturalgas.org/

The Party’s Over: pages 139-143