NEW YORK --US legislation to broaden access to natural gas supplies could come about before the end of the year, American Chemistry Council (ACC) CEO Jack Gerard said on Monday.
We are still heavily focused on energy and natural gas supply. And this issue is coming out front and center more and more each day as we read about increases in food costs, questions on ethanol and the need for lowering gas prices at the pump, said Gerard. So we anticipate there may yet be some legislation in the energy realm this year. We re poised and will actively be pursuing our agenda on natural gas.
On May 1, Senator Pete Domenici (Republican-New Mexico) and 19 other Republican senators introduced The American Energy Production Act of 2008 to dramatically increase domestic production of oil and natural gas in order to lower prices and make America less dependent on foreign sources of oil.
The bill, S-2958, would allow US states with coastlines on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to petition Congress to lift the moratorium that since 1982 has barred energy development in the resource-rich outer continental shelf regions off those coasts.
The ACC aims to make energy and natural gas supply a key part of the debate on climate change.
A lot of people have focused this climate debate purely on environmental protection with very little understanding about its impact on the economy, jobs and national security, said Gerard. Our industry uses energy to save energy, and if they re serious about controlling greenhouse gases, they re going to need our products.
The Senate bill S-2191, the America s Climate Security Act, sponsored by Senators Joe Lieberman (Independent-Connecticut) and John Warner (Republican-Virginia), will be brought up by the Senate in early June, said Gerard.
We ve talked to Lieberman and Warner personally about the failure to address energy supply as part of their approach to climate change concerns, said Gerard. They recognise it s part of the debate but quickly point out that s not under their committee of jurisdiction.
So we re up there talking with the energy committee to let them know that as this climate debate goes on, we need to make sure we have enough natural gas in this country, he added. We re starting to make progress there. People are starting to put aside some of the partisan petty rhetoric and focus more on what it s going to take to address this question.
We are still heavily focused on energy and natural gas supply. And this issue is coming out front and center more and more each day as we read about increases in food costs, questions on ethanol and the need for lowering gas prices at the pump, said Gerard. So we anticipate there may yet be some legislation in the energy realm this year. We re poised and will actively be pursuing our agenda on natural gas.
On May 1, Senator Pete Domenici (Republican-New Mexico) and 19 other Republican senators introduced The American Energy Production Act of 2008 to dramatically increase domestic production of oil and natural gas in order to lower prices and make America less dependent on foreign sources of oil.
The bill, S-2958, would allow US states with coastlines on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to petition Congress to lift the moratorium that since 1982 has barred energy development in the resource-rich outer continental shelf regions off those coasts.
The ACC aims to make energy and natural gas supply a key part of the debate on climate change.
A lot of people have focused this climate debate purely on environmental protection with very little understanding about its impact on the economy, jobs and national security, said Gerard. Our industry uses energy to save energy, and if they re serious about controlling greenhouse gases, they re going to need our products.
The Senate bill S-2191, the America s Climate Security Act, sponsored by Senators Joe Lieberman (Independent-Connecticut) and John Warner (Republican-Virginia), will be brought up by the Senate in early June, said Gerard.
We ve talked to Lieberman and Warner personally about the failure to address energy supply as part of their approach to climate change concerns, said Gerard. They recognise it s part of the debate but quickly point out that s not under their committee of jurisdiction.
So we re up there talking with the energy committee to let them know that as this climate debate goes on, we need to make sure we have enough natural gas in this country, he added. We re starting to make progress there. People are starting to put aside some of the partisan petty rhetoric and focus more on what it s going to take to address this question.
