In this Section

Issues: Energy

Popular Tags [ View All Tags ]:: california; coal; drilling; energy efficiency; energy policy; gas prices; oil; renewable energy; solutions; vehicles; what you can do

All Tags [ View Popular Tags ]:: AB 1493; agriculture; air pollution; airlines; appliances; Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; asthma; auto industry; automakers; biodiesel; biofuels; birds; boreal forest; buses; bush administration; buying clean energy; California; California environmental legislation; Canada; cancer; carbon offsets; caribou; case studies; causes; Cheney energy task force; China; clean energy; cleantech; coal; coal-fired power plants; compact fluorescent lighting; conservation and restoration; consumer products; diesel; diesel buses; diesel exhaust; dirty fuels; drilling; efficient vehicles; electric utilities; electricity industry; emissions; emphysema; energy efficiency; energy policy; energy security; environmental history; ethanol; exhaust; florida; fuel economy; fuel savings; gas drilling; gas prices; gasoline; global warming; global warming emissions; global warming legislation; green buildings; green diesel; health; health effects; household energy use; human health; hybrid bus; hybrid electric vehicles; hybrid vehicles; hybrids; hydrogen; hydropower; indoor air quality; jobs; Kids' Health; landfill gas; lead; liquid coal; location efficient mortgages; Los Angeles; mass transit; mercury; natural gas; NEPA; new energy economy; New York; New York City; nitrogen oxides; nrdc offices; nuclear energy; oceans; offshore drilling; oil; oil price spikes; oil shale; open space; ozone; particulate pollution; photos; polar bears; policy; pollution; public lands; public transportation; renewable energy; renewables; respiratory illness; Rocky Mountains; smart growth; smog; solar power; solutions; soot; sulfur dioxide; tar sands; transportation; trucks; vehicle; vehicles; water management; western water; what you can do; wind power

Finding the Balance

The Role of Natural Gas in America's Energy Future

Natural gas has an important role to play in America's energy future. Efficient use of natural gas -- the cleanest-burning of all fossil fuels -- in homes and businesses and for electricity generation can result in substantially lower emissions of global warming pollution than many alternatives. But this does not mean we need to drill for more natural gas in valuable wild places. Invading pristine places for natural gas that we can get elsewhere would be an irreparable and costly mistake. This October 2008 issue paper discusses how investments in efficiency cost less and can bring benefits to the market faster than trying to increase supplies through drilling. By reducing the demand for natural gas quickly, increased efficiency can bring down the price of gas and lower bills for the average consumer right away. This issue paper also provides recommendations for policy solutions that can provide short-term benefits and long-term energy solutions by incentivizing energy efficiency and supporting development of renewable energy sources.

OVERVIEW & QUICK REFERENCE
Fact sheet (pdf)

ISSUE PAPER IN PDF
Adobe Acrobat file (size: 807 KB)
Click here if you need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader (free)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary
Chapter 1: Natural Gas Is a Bridge, Not a Solution
Chapter 2: Making the Most of Existing Natural Gas Resources
Chapter 3: Reducing Energy Costs Immediately Through Efficiency
Chapter 4: Conclusion and Policy Recommendations
Endnotes

last revised 9/30/2008