Washington, D.C. – The Natural Gas Council (NGC), representing the companies that produce, transport and deliver clean, affordable natural gas throughout the United States, issued the following statement today, in response to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) December 2011 report, “2011 Special Reliability Assessment: A Primer of the Natural Gas and Electric Power Interdependency in the United States.”
“We are pleased to see that NERC’s report underscores the importance of reliability in meeting the needs of the more than 70 million Americans who count on natural gas for their energy needs, and specifically, natural gas to the electric sector. Even more notable, the assessment recognizes the critical role that natural gas will play in the future of electric power, which NERC points out has grown to be the largest consuming sector of the natural gas industry.
“We are reviewing the specifics of NERC’s recommendations, but we heartily agree with the report’s overarching recommendation to seek ways to deepen and improve the natural gas-electric dialogue. In the new year, we look forward to further discussions with NERC, the electric industry and policymakers on constructive steps that can be taken to ensure greater utilization of natural gas.”
Last February, the NGC pledged to assist NERC with its study of the growing interdependence of the natural gas and electric industry. (See February 2011 NGC letter and release here.)
