Natural Gas’ Proven Role in Advancing Energy and Environmental Goals

Mark Green
Posted November 7, 2023

Recent attacks on America’s growing capacity to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) – critical for European allies, and a hope for millions around the world still trapped in energy poverty – are no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention.

Years ago, anti-oil and natural gas opponents switched from frontal assaults on America’s leading energy sources and started criticizing the infrastructure needed to deliver them. Failing to convince Americans to forgo affordable, reliable energy from oil and natural gas, they targeted pipelines, natural gas-fueled power plants and other facilities, trying to close off access to them. (Hello, Keystone XL pipeline!)  

Now they’re serving up the false claim that exported American LNG is worse for the planet than burning coal – despite ample evidence that natural gas use generally and exported U.S. LNG (which reached an all-time high last month), both do much good around the world while spurring energy production, jobs and economic growth here at home.

A recent piece in the New Yorker magazine on America’s growing LNG export capacity – by a climate extremist who wants to end oil and natural gas use and opposes their infrastructure, and has advocated that families should have just one child – is a new chapter to the natural gas debate.

The shift being attempted is significant, given that President Obama hailed natural gas in 2014 as the “bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change.” Just last year John Kerry, the Biden administration’s climate envoy, said natural gas could be an important part of the energy mix if methane emissions were halted – the top priority of industry-led initiatives including The Environmental Partnership, whose detailed action programs are helping lead the way in reducing emissions.

So, a couple of things to remember amid the renewed opposition to U.S. LNG exports:

1. Natural Gas is Critical to Supply and Global Energy Security

Natural gas, together with oil, supplied nearly 70% of America’s energy in 2022 and the two are projected to furnish more than 63% of it in 2050. With global energy demand projected to continue increasing, the need for the affordable, reliable energy provided by these leading energy sources isn’t going to vanish.

Nor should they. Ask the European Union about the importance of American LNG in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Europe became the leading destination for U.S. LNG exports in 2022, with America’s allies gaining a crystal-clear energy perspective after Russia responded to European opposition to its war by turning off the natural gas pipeline spigot to the continent.

American producers surged LNG cargoes to Europe by 141% in 2022 – staving off disaster in the short-term and positioning U.S. LNG as key to Europe’s long-term energy needs. In April, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken credited American LNG as critical to curbing Russia’s use of energy as a weapon:

“Ukraine stands – and stands strong. Europe stands – and stands strong. … This is possible, in no small part, because of the partnership between the United States and the European Union. The U.S.-EU Energy Council has worked as never before to help make Europe more energy secure. The United States has more than doubled our supply of natural gas to the continent – exporting 56 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas last year. Because of these and other efforts, Russia’s natural gas only accounted for about 16 percent of the EU’s natural gas imports by the end of 2022 – compared to 37 percent in March of 2022. And as I mentioned, our supplies went up more than twofold – over 140 percent increase between 2021 and 2022.”

More broadly, Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, touted LNG’s role in supporting energy security while also helping reduce emissions:

“LNG can be a major contributor – with the reduction of methane – both on the global energy stability and security for every country but also a contributor to our collective individual goals, our collective and individual goals as countries in seeing and meeting our objective by 2050 in net-zero.”

2. Natural Gas vs. Coal: No Contest on Emissions

Fuel switching to natural gas from coal in the power sector can reduce carbon emissions by more than 50%, which is the main reason U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from power generation are at generational lows.

Natural gas is the leading fuel for U.S. electricity generation and accounted for more than 60% of the CO₂ reductions from that sector from 2006-2021 (last data year available), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

Willie L. Phillips, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said recently:

“I don’t see a tension between the steps we have taken to fight climate change and the use of natural gas and LNG. Natural gas and LNG will be a feature of our energy mix far into the future. When it comes to considering new projects, one of the key things I consider is the impact that these projects will have on the climate. There will be no transition of our energy system without natural gas.”

In that context, U.S. LNG exports can provide other countries with an opportunity to see similar emissions reductions.

That does not apply to coal. Some are so opposed to U.S. natural gas and LNG exports they’ve basically become coal proponents – not too long since some argued coal should be stopped at all costs. Their stridency leads them to cite an unpublished study by an academic long opposed to natural gas, who openly concedes it’s possible he made a “mistake or two … hopefully, not large” in his analysis.

There are these facts about coal in power generation:

• Compared with natural gas-fueled power generating units, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that coal-fired units produced more than 90 times as much sulfur dioxide, twice as much carbon dioxide and more than five times as much nitrogen oxides per unit of electricity, largely because coal contains more sulfur and carbon than natural gas.  
• Actions to reduce coal use in the U.S. have significantly improved air quality since the 1950s. A major concern in 1985, acid rain has been virtually eliminated in the U.S. today.

Rob Jennings, API vice president of Natural Gas markets:

“Natural gas serves as a force for U.S. leadership when it comes to energy security and environmental progress at home and around the world. First, it enhances energy security by diversifying the energy mix, reducing dependence on dirtier sources and ensuring stable supply. Second, natural gas is environmentally helpful as it emits lower levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants compared to coal when burned for energy. By striking a balance between reliability and environmental responsibility, natural gas plays a big role in making gains toward shared energy and environmental goals.”