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Abundance

Natural gas is one of America's greatest resources. While reserves of oil and other resources are diminishing, new drilling technologies and techniques are allowing us to recover natural gas in the huge shale deposits in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Appalachia — vastly expanding our nation's natural gas reserves.

The biennial study of the Potential Gas Committee (Colorado School of Mines) concluded that, when calculating the impact of shale deposits, new discoveries represent a "net increase in total potential resources 39 percent" since 2006. The New York Times reports new natural gas studies demonstrate a "stunning increase in potential resources."

The energy available from natural gas contained in these shale deposits can provide ample supplies for the next 100 years.

Click here to visit CNGnow.com to learn more about the availability of natural gas in North America.

Environment

Natural gas is much cleaner than coal, diesel, or gasoline. In fact, natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel and a highly efficient form of energy. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said that natural gas is twice as clean as coal.

Natural gas has a lower carbon content and fewer impurities than other fuels, and produces less sulfur dioxide (a primary cause of acid rain) and other pollutants. Natural gas produces 22 to 29 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than diesel- or gasoline-powered vehicles, respectively.

For instance, carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are reduced by more than 90 and 60 percent, respectively, and carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, is reduced by 30 to 40 percent. When used in medium- and heavy-duty engines, CO and particulate matter (PM) reductions of over 90 percent, and NOx reductions of over 50 percent, have been demonstrated compared to diesel engines.

Dr. Joseph Romm, former Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy during the Clinton Administration has said: "That's why it [natural gas] is widely seen, even by groups as green as Greenpeace, as a plausible transition fuel for the next two to three decades as we aggressively ramp up wind, solar PV, concentrated solar thermal, biomass, geothermal, and other ultra-low-carbon energy sources." Center for American Progress Action Fund Website

Navigant Consulting study, June 2008. Graphic courtesy of CNG Now.
There is so much natural gas that there is enough available to, according to one researcher, "displace half of the coal burning power plants [in the United States] by 2020" which would make the environmental targets being discussed in Washington and Brussels well within reach.

Infrastructure

Natural gas already has a tremendous advantage, particularly when used for trucks and fleet vehicles. Most trucking today is round trip, one-tank routes. There are approximately 1.5 million miles of gas pipe and distribution lines crisscrossing the country, making natural gas available on nearly every street and community in America today. Building the infrastructure also creates the kinds of jobs we need in the U.S.