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Natural Gas

The Case Against Gas Dependence

Greater reliance on gas-fired power implies serious economic, technological, and national security risks.

Over the past two decades, the United States has, by default, come to rely on an "In Gas We Trust" energy policy. Is such a dramatic increase in the use of natural gas to generate electricity feasible without straining gas supply and infrastructure?
Byline: 

Roger H. Bezdek and Robert M. Wendling

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LNG Rising

Despite development challenges, LNG capacity is destined to play a bigger role in the U.S. energy mix.

Liquefied natural gas tankers and terminals are being developed and built at a dizzying pace to head off natural gas shortages in the U.S. market. How big a role will it play in years to come?
Byline: 

Michael T. Burr

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Gas-Power Infrastructure: The Missing Link?

Presenting an option to solving electric transmission congestion.

Fixing electric transmission congestion has been dominating market design policy debates since the beginning of restructuring. Could the gas pipeline infrastructure offer a solution?
Byline: 

Ron Hrehor and Don Sytsma

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Gas Marketers: Oblivious to All the Fuss

New mega-marketers, niche players emphasize opportunity.

Even when the calendar flipped to 2001 and much of the energy industry was swept into the turmoil surrounding the California electric industry restructuring fiasco, gas marketers continued to thrive in the low-supply, high-demand environment.
Byline: 

Mark Hand

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U.S. Gas Production: Can We Trust the Projections?

Government (EIA) forecasts suffer in credibility when compared with geologic assessments.

The EIA predicts that natural gas consumption will climb more than 60 percent percent over 20 years, driving U.S. production up 50-plus percent over the same period. How does that square with geologic assessments?
Byline: 

Emil Attanasi

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The Plague ... of Price Controls

The world goeth fast from bad to worse.

Many public voices today want the government to simply mandate lower energy prices. It is this kind of temper-tantrum-as-policy that makes the Middle Ages seem so, well, medieval, and reminds us why we got rid of kings in the first place.
Byline: 

Philip M. Marston

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Coal: No Longer a Dirty Word?

Benchmarks

It appears that coal will continue to play a role in meeting the need for new generating capacity in the U.S. Used in the proper context, perhaps coal does not have to be a "four-letter" word.
Byline: 

Ellen Ewart and Betsy Vaninetti

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The Grid Is Dead

Gas pipelines compete against electric transmission lines. And the pipes are winning.

Years from now, we'll look back on the power crisis as the beginning of the end of electric transmission.
Byline: 

Bruce W. Radford

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How Commodity Markets Drive Gas Pipeline Values

Has rate regulation become obsolete for natural gas pipelines?

On Jan. 30, FERC will hold a public conference to review the financial health of the pipeline industry. It will ask whether its regulatory framework still works; whether pipelines can still attract new capital for investment. Does rate policy threaten the financial integrity of the pipeline industry? That very question may come before the Commission. Nevertheless, FERC need not look far for an answer. If the pipeline industry should lie at risk, the cause may go no farther than the Commission itself. In fact, FERC ratemaking policy for gas transportation service now appears to jeopardize the ability of pipelines to recover costs.
Byline: 

Mary Lashley Barcella

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