Don Santa, president and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, today released the following statement welcoming President Obama’s positive statements about natural gas in Tuesday’s State of the Union address:
“We applaud the president for acknowledging the important role natural gas plays in America’s economy. Natural gas is driving the resurgence in U.S. manufacturing, creating high-paying American jobs, generating revenues, reducing emissions and lowering consumer energy prices.
“We must continue to expand America’s energy infrastructure to ensure that this success story continues, including by investigating ways to streamline pipeline permitting and get new pipelines built, while continuing to protect landowners and the environment.
“INGAA members are committed to safe, reliable and environmentally responsible construction and operation of pipelines. The natural gas transmission industry has taken steps to lower the amount of methane released into the atmosphere. For example, it has reduced the number of leaks along the pipe by 94 percent, preventing 122 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions over the past three decades. INGAA members also have committed to developing new industry guidelines to detect and mitigate releases from equipment in a cost-effective manner.”
