Headlines following the International Energy Administration’s (IEA) annual global methane update have the public convinced emissions from the energy sector are climbing around the world. Beyond these surface-level analyses, however, IEA’s data actually shows that the American natural gas industry – anchored in large part by Pennsylvania – is stepping up to meet record levels of demand with the cleanest, most efficient, affordable and reliable energy around.
The demand for energy is climbing at unprecedented levels. Advancements such as the rise in AI, large data centers, next generation manufacturing and even SpaceX require a significant amount of energy to function – each of which are turning to natural gas to reliably power systems while scaling down respective carbon footprints.
Space travel, for example, has eyed methane as rocket fuel not only because is it cleaner and more efficient than previously used kerosene, but it also carries about 10% more thrust (force). Moreover, power demand from AI is expected to grow 10x by 2026, and data centers today typically require 10-50x more power than the average commercial building. These growing energy needs necessitate a solution that’s reliable, affordable and sustainable.
Enter Pennsylvania-produced natural gas, where engineering techniques and new technologies are constantly deployed to improve output and reduce emissions across the value chain. That’s why “emissions held steady or dipped despite an uptick in production in the Marcellus shale basin in Pennsylvania,” University of Maryland climate scientist Russell Dickerson explained to POLITICO.
“The energy sector [is] doing a pretty good job with engineering and implementing good engineering practices,” Dickerson continued.
Driving down emissions while increasing production – that’s the name of the game for the natural gas industry in the Appalachian Basin, the nation’s largest producing region with the lowest methane emissions intensity.
Improved drilling techniques and specialized drill bits, new technologies for underground steering, cloud computing, and many other unique applications are what’s helping drive these achievements. It’s the same innovative spirit that birthed modern unconventional shale development just two decades ago.
“In Pennsylvania…drillers are focused on producing natural gas, and there, very little of the methane was wasted,” NPR recently reported.
As we’re producing the natural gas critical to advancing America’s sustainable, technology-reliant energy future, shortsighted policies, including freezing LNG exports and stunting much needed pipeline development critical to transporting it to domestic and international markets, are jeopardizing America’s ’ competitive advantage. It’s crucial that leaders and policymakers implement pro-market, pro-energy and pro-American policies that leverage this game-changing resource before we are outpaced by our foreign competitors.
“Pennsylvania can provide the affordable and reliable energy that our nation and the world needs but permitting red tape and overreaching courts are preventing the development of critical infrastructure to safely move more natural gas to consumers,” as Marcellus Shale Coalition President David Callahan explained.
If the goal is to improve our environment, power sector, energy and national security at-large, reports like IEA’s cannot be taken at face-value. There’s more than what often meets the eye, and it’s critical our focus and investments are directed towards the development, transportation and use of a fuel – natural gas – that reliably meets energy and climate needs.
