Special CUB Policy Conference Preview: Got Gas?

CUB is in the thick of planning our upcoming 5th annual policy conference, Utility 2025: Building the Northwest’s Energy Future. We’re holding this year’s event on October 23 at the Downtown Portland Hilton, and I’m thrilled to be moderating one of the afternoon breakout sessions: “Got Gas? Bridge Fuel or Bridge to Nowhere?”

Don’t let the funny name fool you—we’ve got an impressive lineup of speakers who are going to be talking seriously about the role of gas utilities in an increasingly carbon-constrained industry. This year’s esteemed panel includes:

Bill Edmonds, Director of Environmental Management and Sustainability at NW Natural; Jason Eisdorfer, Utility Program Director at the Oregon Public Utility Commission; Ed Finklea, Executive Director at Northwest Industrial Gas Users; Nancy Hirsh, Executive Director at NW Energy Coalition; and Dan Kirschner, Executive Director at Northwest Gas Association.

We will certainly have a lot to talk about as the landscape for natural gas in the United States continues to evolve. As you may already know, on August 18, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new updates, which it calls “commonsense requirements”, to its New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and Draft Control Techniques Guidelines in an effort to cut methane and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from the oil and natural gas industry. 

Methane largely makes up what we know to be natural gas, and is a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide and contains VOCs, which contribute to smog. The EPA’s proposed rules, if implemented, would heavily reduce methane emissions over the next decade. Reducing methane emissions would help to combat climate change, reduce air pollution and provide greater certainty around Clean Air Act permitting requirements for the oil and natural gas industry. 

In this era of carbon regulation, and in light of the EPA’s new proposal, CUB wants to investigate whether natural gas is in fact a flexible “bridge” fuel that will allow us to better integrate renewables, or whether it is better suited for direct use. The panel will also discuss possibilities for renewable gas, and after a national focus on coal, whether the carbon focus will shift to natural gas. 

These are just some of the issues and questions that CUB is currently thinking about, but we’re excited to see what our panelists talk about and the issues that they see as important as we look toward the Northwest’s energy future. Stay tuned to our blog for more special conference preview articles in the coming weeks! In the meantime, you can view our full schedule and roster at www.cubpolicycenter.org/conference. We encourage you to register by Friday October 2 to take advantage of early bird pricing!

CUB is still welcoming sponsors and community partners to get involved in Utility 2025: Building the Northwest’s Energy Future. For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Pamela White, Development and Communications Director, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or (503) 227-1984 x10.

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