American Gas - May 2013 - (Page 2)

Far more impressive are the human efforts that make it possible to deliver this resource to homes and businesses—safely, reliably, and efficiently BY DAVE MCCURDY PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE MORE THAN JUST GOOD NEWS STORIES T he easiest part of my job is expounding upon the many benefits of natural gas. There is concrete data confirming the environmental benefits of this clean energy source, and the body of evidence continues to grow. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from the point of production through delivery to the homes and businesses of natural gas customers have been drastically reduced. This is critical to our mission of engaging in a fact-based dialogue about building a clean and secure energy future for our nation. To that end, AGA and several of our members are joining the Environmental Defense Fund in sponsoring studies to look more closely at methane emissions across the natural gas value chain. In addition to the mounting information that supports the clean profile of this fuel, our nation’s supply outlook continues to improve. Recently, AGA and the Potential Gas Committee released a report stating that the United States possesses a technically recoverable natural gas resource potential of 2,384 trillion cubic feet (Tcf ). This exceeds by 486 Tcf the previous record-high assessment from year-end 2010. This abundance of home-grown natural gas provides an opportunity to satisfy significant new demand at affordable prices well into the future. Still, these good news stories are inherent to the commodity itself. Far more impressive, in my opinion, are the human efforts that make it possible to reliably deliver this God-given resource to homes and businesses. America’s natural gas utilities operate the safest energy delivery system in the nation made up of more than two million miles of pipelines. Our top priority is maintaining the safety of this system and the communities we serve. 2 AMERICAN GAS MAY 2013 We take this responsibility very seriously and work to earn, and keep, the trust of our customers, regulators, and elected officials every day. Later this month, the annual AGA Operations Conference and Biennial Exhibition will draw nearly a thousand people to Orlando, Fla., to hear some 80 speakers and see more than 100 technical presentations. Every session covers safety best practices that go above and beyond current regulations. This is the industry’s premier gathering of natural gas utility and transmission company operations management, and a testament to the safety culture that permeates the industry and our member companies. Natural gas is an energy source that will fuel opportunity well into the future, and AGA is committed to furthering our legacy of safety and reliability for generations. Last month, we announced that $1 million in proceeds from the 17th International Conference and Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG 17) will go toward scholarships for students interested in pursuing careers in the natural gas industry. The AGA scholarship program is an investment in helping to develop a skilled workforce capable of maintaining the 21st-century technology that safely and efficiently transports and utilizes this clean energy source—now, and in the years to come. u President and CEO, dmccurdy@aga.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - May 2013

American Gas - May 2013
Contents
President’s Message
Subject Index
Sandy Coins Say Thanks
Digest
Issues
Update
Need to Know
By the Numbers
Places
Need to Know
Taking a Bite out of Food Truck Pollution
Canada
Capitol Hill
State House
City Hal
Safety: Getting Employees Invested
The Rails
Profile
AGA Ops Conference Preview
Procurement
Jobs
Buyer’s Guide
Marketplace
Headway

American Gas - May 2013