As soon as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy unveiled his draft energy plan for the state in October, heating oil dealers were up in arms over its assumption that expansion of natural gas would save consumers money. One energy expert says the energy plan actually says the opposite. “The departments analysis clearly indicates that a large
[continue reading...]

Mark LeBel, an energy fellow at the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, told DEEP officials Tuesday that the price difference between oil and natural gas is not the headline … To LeBel it doesn’t matter whether it’s oil or natural gas, if the furnace burning the fuel isn’t efficient and there’s insulation hanging from the ceiling then it really doesn’t matter why type of energy someone is using. Christine Stuart of CT News Junkie reports.

Heating oil dealers across Connecticut are planning to show up in large numbers Monday for a public hearing on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s draft energy policy. The group led by the Independent Connecticut Petroleum Association is upset with plans to encourage 300,0000 homeowners and businesses to switch from heating oil to natural gas. For more
[continue reading...]

I’m not sure whether to classify this as business, energy, or propaganda.  Gov. Dannel Malloy was on hand at Amity High School Monday to press a case for natural gas — and other forms of alternative energy — in Connecticut. Malloy joined DEEP Commissioner Daniel Esty, Woodbridge First Selectman Edward Maum Sheehy, Amity Board of
[continue reading...]

Are you a member of The New England Council? I ask because Brad Kane reports in the Hartford Business Journal today that regional business group New England Council and accounting firm Deloitte released a “smart-infrastructure study” Tuesday calling for New England states to convert more homes and businesses to gas heating and add more tolls to major highways and population centers.

Geologists have long known about huge natural gas deposits trapped in shale rock formations, but it is only over the past decade that energy companies have combined two established technologies to unlock this resource. Watch this video on how Chevron uses horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to what it calls “safely produce natural gas from
[continue reading...]

Natural gas is good for the environment. It’s the cleanest conventional fuel, producing less than half the carbon dioxide emissions of coal, and 30 percent less than oil. In addition, natural gas produces far less sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter than either coal or oil, making it the preferred environmental choice.

And we have a lot of it, which is even better!

In New England, the increased use of natural gas for power generation is viewed as both a solution and a problem. The abundance of supply in the nearby Marcellus Shale has helped lower prices for gas in the region, and its reputation as a cleaner-burning fossil fuel has made it more attractive, leading to record
[continue reading...]

Connecticut Fund for the Environment said they are concerned that Gov. Malloy’s new Comprehensive Energy Strategy, which promotes a major conversion to natural gas. They say it’s “short-sighted,” pointing out that “In the last decade the country has paid the price for our attachment to oil.”

Everyone should be concerned about the governor of this state’s infatuation with natural gas. Just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean it’s good for us.

Big utilities have been using their big ad budgets to try to convince the American public that natural gas is the salvation for our country’s energy concerns. Quite simply, it is not. For more on this story, visit: Natural gas not the key to energy future – Connecticut Post.

Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman, Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. John B. Larson have announced that the United Technologies Company of East Hartford has been awarded a $4.4 million federal grant for natural gas technology research. UTC will use the federal funding to engineer a low-cost natural gas tank for passenger vehicles (and aircraft) replacing the bulkier tanks currently in use that have limited the viability of natural gas for everyday use.

Norwich — Four months after hooking into an extended Norwich Public Utilities natural gas line, the Mohegan Commons affordable housing apartment complex has seen nearly half of the expected annual savings for heat and hot water, officials said Thursday. For more on this story, visit: The Day – Mohegan Commons sees big savings with natural
[continue reading...]

Campaigners reacted angrily on Tuesday to the recommendation by government advisers that “fracking” for shale gas can resume in the UK, despite reassurances that the controversial technique is safe. In a report published today, experts said fracking could resume with stronger controls after it was halted last year following two earthquakes near Blackpool after the
[continue reading...]

I don’t like to use quotes to draw attention to words unnecessarily, but a colleague pointed out that the Brookings Institution may be “bypassing” environmental concerns in its opinion on natural gas exports. The debate on the prospect of natural gas exports from the United States will only become louder this year. In addition to
[continue reading...]

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) has met over 25% of New England’s average daily natural gas demand since November 2010. Four LNG regasification facilities can provide LNG to New England—Canaport, Everett, Neptune, and Northeast Gateway. Most of New England’s LNG deliveries come from the Canaport terminal in New Brunswick, Canada and the Everett terminal in Boston.
[continue reading...]

Six weeks after a West Haven taxi company opened a compressed natural gas fueling station, a Bloomfield taxi service will unveil a CNG station of its own on Nov. 10.

A detailed new energy report argues that the natural gas industry has propagated dangerously false claims about natural gas production supply, cost and environmental impact. The report, “Will Natural Gas Fuel America in the 21st Century” is authored by leading geoscientist and Post Carbon Institute Fellow J. David Hughes.

Another heads up from Environmental Headlines with a story from The Hartford Business Journal about John Larson nearing his goal of making natural gas a transportation fuel of choice. He is urging Connecticut businesses to prepare for the upcoming revolution.