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Natural Gas: the Best Choice for Tomorrow’s Energy

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Natural Gas: the Best Choice for Tomorrow’s Energy
Natural Gas: The Best Choice for Tomorrow’s Energy

What comes to mind when you think about energy? I bet most of you probably think about electricity, heat, and basic everyday things that we use that require some sort of energy. Let’s think about that for a moment. How are things like electricity and heat produced? Many of the commodities that we all in enjoy in this world like electricity, heat, and many other things are produced by an energy source. These sources for a very long time consisted of primarily oil and coal. These energy sources were used to help generate and provide electricity and heat to almost all of the United States. Now the prices of these energy sources are soaring and with the economy in recession consumers are looking for a cheaper and reliable energy source. The solution is natural gas. Do you know why natural gas is the best choice for tomorrow’s energy? Throughout this paper you will be brought behind the scenes of natural gas and its industry to show you some comparisons between natural gas and its main competitors oil and coal. Natural gas has been an up and coming topic that is opening eyes not just in the United States but all over the world. Many of us think of natural gas as just being a fuel for a stove or heating a home, but have you really ever thought more about this incredible natural resource? It is a naturally occurring resource found here in the United States. The American Gas Association stated in 2012, “that 88% of the Natural Gas consumed in the U.S. is produced in the U.S.” This is just one of many reasons that I will explain why natural gas is the better solution for tomorrow’s energy. What is natural gas and where does it come from? Why is natural gas better than oil and coal? Are there any benefits that natural gas offers over oil and coal? All of these questions and more will be answered in this document. What is natural gas? Natural gas is an odorless, colorless, tasteless, and highly



Cited: American Chemistry Council. “Shale Gas, Competitiveness and New U.S. Investment: A Case Study of Eight Manufacturing Industries” Economics & Statistics Department, May 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2013 American Gas Association American Petroleum Institute. “Transporting Oil and Natural Gas” Oil and Natural Gas Overview Energy API, 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2013 Benoit Faucon Christopher Joyce. “Natural Gas Dethrones King Coal As Power Companies Look To Future” NPR.org, 1 Mar. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2013 Eric Camp Eve Troeh. “Natural Gas prices drop to lowest level in decades” Market Place Morning Report. Personal Interview. 12 Apr. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2013 Hobart King Matthew Daly. “Moniz backs natural gas 'revolution ' USNews, 9 Apr. 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. NaturalGas.org. “Uses of Natural Gas.” 2011. Web. 8 Apr. 2013 Pipeline & Hazardous Material Safety Administration US Energy Information Administration. “Electricity” EIA, 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2013 US Energy Information Administration

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