The uncertain future role of natural gas

Although the future role of natural gas in the U.S. energy picture is not certain, it is probably no less certain, and quite possibly more certain, that other energy fuels available in the Untied States in the next 20 to 30 years. We know this because natural gas ranks high among energy fuels when it is evaluated against the key criteria that will determine its competitiveness in the national energy fuels marketplace. Those key criteria are the size of the recoverable resource, the economics of both extraction and use, and public acceptance with respect to environmental, safety, and siting matters. This paper discusses each of these points separately and then summarizes the future contribution of natural gas in the U. S. energy mix