I’ve seen many energy issues expand and contract in the years I’ve been with EDF since 1988. Our organization has celebrated and participated in many victories regarding climate change, including landmark legislation that put limits for the first time on California’s greenhouse gas emissions, the elimination of eight out of 11 new coal plants in Texas as part of the utility TXU’s buyout and federal standards for controlling air pollution from unconventional gas activities. At the same time, we’ve seen clean energy sources both praised and attacked.
No issue, however, has been as thorny as natural gas. We used to think if we just switched from coal or oil to natural gas, we could be certain that the climate change scenario would improve dramatically. But with lingering uncertainty around just how much methane, a very potent greenhouse, is being emitted and is leaking out across the natural gas system, we are still weighing the amount of climate benefit of its use.
When you don’t know something that you want to know, you turn to experts who either have the knowledge or can acquire the knowledge by asking the right questions. So, as head of EDF’s US Climate and Energy Program, I’ve assembled a team whose judgment I trust to find answers to the question that defines our gas work: How can we minimize the risks associated with operations and maximize the inherent climate benefit of natural gas?
