U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., joined the first ever United States House of Representatives Natural Gas Caucus on Wednesday, where Penn State Professor Emeritus Robert Watson was a key presenter.
The main topic of interest was Marcellus Shale, a natural gas reserve that covers two-thirds of Pennsylvania.
Proponents of natural gas at the caucus cited that it emits at least 50 percent less carbon dioxide than petroleum does. And with the abundance of gas found just in Pennsylvania, tapping the resource would increase the nation's security by reducing its reliance on foreign oil.
Watson said past estimates of the gas reserve's potential were highly underestimated and should be reconsidered in light of modern technological improvements.
"Only from the little Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we have enough natural gas to support the United States for 20 years," Watson said.
Thompson said the most recent research, which came from Penn State, shows Marcellus Shale is the largest plane of natural gas in the world. Watson said the reserve has the potential to provide 150,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania, with an average salary -- from laborer to executive -- cashing in at $90,000. The reserve has a potential value of $3 trillion, Watson said.
That said, building an infrastructure to tap the gas comes with costs. Constructing electric lines, gas lines and artificial water management are environmentally harmful procedures. However, the benefit of reducing petroleum use outweighs the negative impacts, Watson said. To give a practical picture of the advantage of natural gas, Watson said individuals who change their engine oil every 3,000 miles would only have to change it every 50,000 miles in an engine that runs on natural gas.
"The big issue ... is having enough refueling stations to be able to sell the natural gas at your handy-dandy gasoline stations," Watson said.
If 6.5 million cars on U.S. roadways switched from gasoline to natural gas, the U.S. could reduce about half of its imports from countries belonging to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Thompson said. He said tax incentives for converting cars to natural gas are a possibility to spur people to make the switch.
Those who argue against natural gas in favor of establishing clean, sustainable energy sources should view natural gas as a bridge to other sources, Watson said. He and other experts believe the technology necessary for practical energy sources without pollution are still a generation away.
As for naysayers, Watson said studies done on the reserve overlook one important fact.
"When they do their studies, they fail to take into consideration how determined people like me are," Watson said.
