Why Kill Natural Gas? The push for "artificial electrification" will hurt consumers and the environment.

• Author: Costello, Kenneth W.
• Position: ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

The U.S. natural gas industry has enjoyed great success over the last decade-plus. It has contributed to the economy by creating new, productive jobs and significantly reducing households' and businesses' energy bills. This was particularly important during the Great Recession when a boost from a major industry prevented the further downward spiral of the economy.

Natural gas also benefited the environment by accelerating the retirement of coal-fired generating plants. The shift from coal to natural gas was a major factor in lowering U.S. power industry carbon emissions by 33% between 2005 and 2019. Even after accounting for methane emissions, the most credible studies show that switching from coal to natural gas has mitigated climate change. Moreover, and possibly more important for human health, natural gas emits less air pollutants--like sulfur-dioxide, mercury, and nitrogen oxide--than coal.

Because of its abundant shale gas, the United States expects to be a net exporter of natural gas in the coming years. Until a little more than a decade ago, the worry was that the country would have to import increasing amounts of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from politically unstable parts of the world.

Overall, because of environmentally prudent development of natural gas resources using advanced technology for hydrocarbon extraction, natural gas would seem to have a bright future. About 80% of U.S. natural gas production comes from "fracking" techniques applied in shale formations, whereas just 15 years ago that percentage was virtually zero.

NATURAL GAS'S FOES

Until around seven years ago, most environmental groups viewed natural gas favorably as a bridge fuel in facilitating the transition to a low-carbon environment. Today, these groups and other climate activists have radically changed their position. They now see natural gas as an obstacle to achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) targets that, in their minds, will help protect against climate catastrophe. They favor phasing-out, as promptly as possible, the consumption of natural gas for various uses like electricity generation and space and water heating in new buildings. Opponents of natural gas have also attempted, with some success, to block the building of new gas-infrastructure projects (like LNG export terminals and gas pipelines). These opponents include homeowners, people who generally oppose development, and environmentalists.

ADVOCACY FOR ELECTRIFICATION

Given concerns over climate change, policymakers (e.g., state utility regulators), electric utilities, and environmentalists are championing the idea of "electrification." That is, they want to phase out fossil fuels and replace them with electricity for direct energy end uses like transportation and water and space heating.

Electric vehicles and heat pumps are the "electrification" technologies that have received the most attention up to now. Other than power plants, the two largest sources of carbon emissions are motor vehicles and buildings. For buildings, the two...