Increased production of America’s clean-burning natural gas resources – led by the Marcellus – continues to create game-changing consumer, manufacturing and environmental benefits.

To be sure, homegrown shale is lowering consumer energy costs for families and small businesses; manufacturers are reshoring back to America; and with every new natural gas power plant constructed, our air quality is improving and jobs are being created.

Here are several recent examples of how natural gas benefits our everyday lives:

  • Affordable, Reliable Compressed Natural Gas: Noble Energy announced its donation of a new compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered van to Arc Human Services Inc. The social service organization is using the new CNG van to provide local transportation services for the individuals it serves. … “This clean-burning CNG van will help Arc offset fuel costs while also making a meaningful contribution to cleaner air quality. Most importantly, the partnership will help provide local individuals with essential transportation services they depend upon,” said RJ Moses, Noble’s senior operations manager of the Marcellus Business Unit. (Next-Gen Transportation, 9/2/15)
  • Boosting Exports to Global Trading Partners: In terms of global markets, a bevy of projects are in the works to export liquefied natural gas. The closest such facility, Dominion Resource’s Cove Point project in Maryland, will be able to ship 0.7 Bcf/d of LNG overseas starting in late 2017. Late this year, Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass will begin shipping LNG from the Gulf Coast. (Post-Gazette, 9/1/15)
  • Reestablishing Pa.’s Manufacturing Sector: Western Pa. is under the hand of an incredible energy revolution. … Operators are producing an incredible amount of oil, condensate and natural gas. …. Ethane has many different uses, but is more valuable when it’s in the form of ethylene – a plastic that carries worldwide consumption. … It’s a no-brainer – let’s band together, support Shell’s cracker plant, and spur the creation of thousands of jobs. (Patriot-News letter, 9/1/15)
  • Powering Pa.’s Economy: States in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays spanning Pa., WV and OH are expected to produce more gas than they can use and export the fuel out of the region. “We are anticipating that the Northeast will be a net exporter for the average of 2015,” said Anne Swedberg, senior energy analyst for Bentek Energy. … The rest of the country is expected to catch up later, becoming a net exporter by 2017. … The Marcellus reached a record high of 20.4 Bcf/d on Aug. 24, “which puts it in line with Texas.” … The Marcellus and the deeper Utica formation drive much of U.S. production. The Marcellus alone accounted for 21% of the country’s natural gas production in the first five months of 2015, according to the EIA. (Post-Gazette, 9/1/15)
  • Reviving Del. Co.’s Marcus Hook Facility: Marcus Hook, built as an oil refinery, stopped processing crude in 2012 at a cost of 500 jobs. Now, 150 people work there again after owner Sunoco Logistics completed the first of two Mariner East pipeline projects to bring propane, ethane and other natural gas liquids from inland shale regions to be processed, chilled and shipped to customers. (Financial Times, 9/3/15)
  • More Affordable, Stable Energy Costs: New research just released supports the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline in Mass. This independent study shows there is a need for natural gas in our region. It says if Kinder Morgan expanded their pipeline, it could save New England residents more $2 billion. Kinder Morgan said that would be about $430 per household. (WWLP-TV, 9/9/15)
  • Clean-Burning Transportation Fuel: Honda recently opened a CNG refueling station at its Marysville, OH campus. … With a capacity of 440,000 vehicles a year, the Marysville plant is one of the largest in North America, receiving hundreds of deliveries every day. … Fleet trucks that frequently accumulate 100,000-plus miles annually can still benefit from a switch to natural gas, something that Honda is hoping to stimulate by offering convenient and fast CNG refueling to its suppliers when they are making deliveries. Honda estimates that more than 100 suppliers in the area could make use of the facility, driving 20 million miles annually on CNG. That would save nearly 20 million pounds of carbon monoxide annually. …This is particularly beneficial for smaller suppliers that may not have fleets large enough to support the investment in their CNG refueling equipment. … Innovative approaches like Honda’s CNG station will be needed to keep advancing natural gas as a transportation fuel. (Forbes, 9/1/15)
  • Aiding Allies Abroad: When a blue ship with the phrase “SHALE GAS FOR MANUFACTURING” painted on its hull docks at Pa.’s Marcus Hook terminal later this year, it will open a new phase in world energy markets. … Until now trading in ethane has been hemmed in by the continents where it is produced. … S. supply of ethane has doubled and prices have plunged 60 per cent from five years ago to $0.19 per gallon. … U.S. energy companies and European and Asian petrochemicals makers have joined forces to build pipelines, tanks, giant refrigerators and specialized tankers to move surplus ethane overseas. … U.S. ethane exports were zero as recently as 2013. … By 2017 U.S. ethane exports will top 300,000 barrels per day. (Financial Times, 9/3/15)

Domestically produced natural gas is delivering consumer cost-savings, tens-of-thousands of good-paying local jobs, and meaningful environmental benefits. Learn more about shale’s benefits on the MSC’s blog, Facebook, and Twitter.