The Natural Gas Gang is Too timid.

Natural gas brings clear benefits to New England Massachusetts’s 1970s moment (ANGA)

Massachusetts’s 1970s moment

On April 18, 1977 America was in the midst of an energy crisis and President Jimmy Carter delivered a televised speech encouraging energy conservation. It was a smart idea, and he famously wore a cardigan sweater on-air to drive home the point that even the White House was turning down the heat.

How times have changed. Thirty-eight years later, America largely controls its own energy future. In fact, American produced energy has changed the global energy picture in a fundamental way –  thanks to innovations that tapped our abundant natural gas supplies – lowering  costs for consumers, reinvigorating American manufacturing and reshaping how our leaders think about generating the energy we’ll need for continued economic growth.

The magnitude of economic growth, specifically in the New England region, relies largely on how this clean-burning natural gas will be transported from the Pennsylvania shale fields to the region’s consumers and businesses. The governors of the six New England states understand this, and are rowing in the same direction, strongly supporting efforts to get new, much needed pipeline infrastructure built in the region.

Which is why it’s curious that Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey took a trip in the way-back machine to grab a page from the 1970s energy playbook last month. That’s when Healey released the results of a study she commissioned finding that Massachusetts didn’t need additional natural gas infrastructure but instead could make due by increasing energy efficiency and encouraging electricity customers to scale back their use. The Attorney General appears to argue that Massachusetts doesn’t need more natural gas infrastructure and instead should don the proverbial cardigan, turn down the heat and conserve more.

The Attorney General’s report, and her position against the need for more natural gas infrastructure, is troubling for several reasons.  First, the study only looked at the electric power market, ignoring the needs of local natural gas utilities struggling to meet increased demand for natural gas from residents and businesses seeking to switch from oil to natural gas.

Second, the Attorney General’s report appears to ignore the environmental benefits that natural gas is bringing to the region, and will continue to do so. That’s because Massachusetts and regional utilities are meeting clean air targets by replacing coal and oil fired power plants with cleaner burning natural gas plants. But the lack of pipelines to get the natural gas where it’s needed will force Massachusetts to delay the opportunity for cleaner burning energy to keep up with freezing temperatures.

While everyone supports energy conservation – after all, it’s  good for both our planet and our wallets – we also must allow for continued economic growth.  The good news is that with natural gas we don’t have to choose between the two. Greater use of natural gas is reducing emissions and driving more efficient manufacturing while lowering energy costs for businesses and homes alike.

The reality is that businesses that can relocate or expand outside of New England are warning that the region’s high energy costs jeopardize their continued operations. High energy costs also can result in manufacturers shutting down or curtailing operations, and consumers, who have seen household incomes stay flat for a decade, are being hit by energy prices that are increasingly difficult to afford.

The benefits of natural gas for New England are clear:  more energy, fewer emissions, more jobs and lower energy costs. Fortunately, New England governors are working together to promote greater prosperity in the region by advancing infrastructure investment to get more natural gas to consumers. A more constructive option for the Massachusetts Attorney General, therefore, would be to join with other New England leaders to advance the region’s shared economic, energy and environmental goals with new natural gas infrastructure and other transmission projects