Natural gas supply under the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978

Book · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:6413451

Kalisch, R B

The problem of supplying natural gas to the nation over the next 20 years was discussed. The issues of how much gas can be produced from the conventional, Lower-48 resources and how the supplemental sources of gas to provide adequate gaseous fuel to the nation can be developed were discussed with the aid of many slides. It was noted that coal reserves are adequate to satisfy our long-term energy needs, but there has been no significant shift to coal as other fuels have become limited in supply. Further, it had been hoped that nuclear power could carry an increasing part of the energy load, but to date it only supplies about 4% of the national energy need. Natural gas is generally less expensive than other fuels. Prior to the Natural Gas Policy Act, the federal government controlled the price of interstate natural gas at the wellhead. Passage of the Act altered the structure of the market. Gas-well completions have increased, but reserve additions in the Lower-48 are decreasing because wells are being completed in areas where drilling prices are more economical, and the potential for gas is less. The nation's planners have concluded that natural gas can and should play a larger role in the future than that depicted in NEP II Lower-48 conventional production forecast. A list of supplemental gas sources is presented which includes Alaskan gas production, Canadian and Mexican imports, LNG imports, oil and coal gasification, and new technologies (gas from Devonian shales, tight sands, biomass, geopressured areas, and peat gasification). (MCW)

• OSTI ID: 6413451
• Report Number(s): CONF-8003142-6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
031000* -- Natural Gas-- Legislation & Regulations
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
293000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Policy
Legislation
& Regulation
294003 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Natural Gas
ALLOCATIONS
DOMESTIC SUPPLIES
ECONOMIC POLICY
ENERGY POLICY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SUPPLIES
EXPLORATION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
LAWS
NATIONAL ENERGY ACT
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS POLICY ACT
NORTH AMERICA
PRICES
PRODUCTION
RESERVES
RESOURCES
USA