Natural Gas

Freeing Up the Cleanest Burning Fossil Fuel

Why is natural gas getting so much attention today?

• It’s the cleanest burning of all fossil fuels, producing only 16% of the world’s greenhouse gas emission.
• It’s abundant around the world. That means that, once it’s produced, it can be quickly marketed and used. And because it’s locally available, it reduces dependence on external sources of energy.
• It’s efficient. In the United States, it reduces heating costs in nearly 50 million homes and generates 20% of the nation’s electricity.
• It generates revenues and jobs for the regions in which it is produced. In the United States, for example, it supports 9.2 million American jobs and adds more than $1 trillion to the national economy (about 7.5% of the nation’s wealth).
• It can be produced safely. Its production is regulated by stringent local, regional and national laws.

Natural gas has been a source of heat in the United States since the 1920s. And today, with technologies such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, it’s more accessible than ever.