American Gas - October 2012 - (Page 5)

industrynews PEOPLE TRENDS EVENTS ENERGY USE Big Drop in CO2 Emissions Attributed to Natural Gas ENERGY-RELATED CARBON DIOXIDE emissions in the first quarter of 2012 were the lowest for any January– March period in two decades, the Energy Information Agency reported. The EIA attributed the drop to a decline in coal-fired electricity generation, due largely to a switch to natural gas generation resulting from historically low natural gas prices. Other factors were a mild winter that reduced household heating demand and lower demand for gasoline. Overall CO2 emissions from energy consumption totaled 1,340 million metric tons during the first quarter of 2012, EIA said, down nearly 8 percent from a year earlier. Emissions are nor- mally highest in the first quarter due to the demand for heat. Emissions from coal were down 18 percent to 387 million metric tons, the lowest first-quarter level since 1983 and the lowest for any quarter since April–June 1986. About 90 percent of the energy-related emissions from coal came from the electric power segment. Emissions from natural gas were also down, but less than coal-related emissions, to about 391 million metric tons, a 2.8 percent drop. “While generators used more natural gas for electricity generation, overall CO2 emissions from natural gas were down because of lower gas heating demand this winter,” the EIA report said. Electric power accounted for 27 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas, the report said, while 26 percent came from the residential sector. The industrial sector accounted for 28 percent. Industrial emissions were up only 2 million metric tons from a year earlier. Petroleum-related emissions fell 2.7 percent, to 559 million metric tons, due to reduced gasoline and heating oil consumption, the report said. That was the lowest level since April–June 1996. www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail. cfm?id=7350 OCTOBER 2012 AMERICAN GAS 5 http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=7350

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - October 2012

American Gas - October 2012
Contents
President’s Message
Industry News
In the Know
Safety First
Tech Talk
Keep the Lights On
Buyer’s Guide 2012
Places to Be
Jobline
Advertisers’ Index
Noteworthies
Marketplace
Facts on Gas

American Gas - October 2012