Piedmont Natural Gas CEO Expresses Support for Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Measures But Says Current Legislation Need
April 22 2009 - 12:56PM
PR Newswire (US)
Piedmont CEO and current American Gas Association Chairman Thomas
E. Skains says legislation should focus more on results and seek
greater input from affected parties in testimony before Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 22
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In testimony before a Senate committee
today, Thomas E. Skains, Chairman, President and CEO of Piedmont
Natural Gas (NYSE:PNY) and the 2009 Chairman of the American Gas
Association (AGA) indicated broad industry support for energy
efficiency and carbon reduction goals but said that the Energy
Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) included in S. 548 and other
impending energy bills, needs additional input and work. "While
EERS seeks to achieve a laudable goal, its mechanism is flawed.
With a focus on huge after-the-fact penalties rather than
incentives, the mechanism is tied to consumer behavior which the
utility can neither control nor dictate. Without question, there
are many actions that natural gas utilities can take -- and do take
-- to encourage energy efficiency. But they cannot unilaterally
adjust customers' thermostats, close windows, or install additional
insulation and new appliances in their homes." Noting the natural
gas industry's track record around energy efficiency and carbon
reduction, Mr. Skains commented further, "AGA members strongly
support reducing the Nation's energy and carbon intensity. In fact,
natural gas utilities and their customers are leaders in these
areas. Since 1970, the number of residential natural gas customers
has increased from 38 million to more than 65 million, but their
energy consumption and carbon emissions have remained flat." Such
progress, Mr. Skains indicated, is the result of more efficient
appliances, tighter homes and energy efficiency measures, many of
which were implemented by natural gas utilities. Mr. Skains went on
to say that the direct use of natural gas in homes or businesses
could help America reduce overall energy consumption and greenhouse
gas emissions and could be done in the near term with existing
technology and at a relatively low cost. Mr. Skains concluded his
testimony by saying, "AGA and its members have a history of
embracing innovative solutions to promote energy efficiency and the
increased use of the cleanest fossil fuel on earth -- natural gas.
In this case, however, we believe the EERS concept needs more
thought, and we look forward to working with the committee to
provide additional input." About Piedmont Natural Gas Piedmont
Natural Gas is an energy services company primarily engaged in the
distribution of natural gas to more than 1 million residential,
commercial and industrial utility customers in North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee, including 62,000 customers served by
municipalities who are wholesale customers. Our subsidiaries are
invested in joint venture, energy-related businesses, including
unregulated retail natural gas marketing, interstate natural gas
storage and intrastate natural gas transportation. More information
about Piedmont Natural Gas is available at
http://www.piedmontng.com/. DATASOURCE: Piedmont Natural Gas
CONTACT: David Trusty, Piedmont Natural Gas, +1-704-731-4391, Web
Site: http://www.piedmontng.com/
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