Monthly Archives: August 2013

Adam Cloch AGA’s Paula Gant Appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Energy For Oil And Natural Gas

Posted on August 27, 2013 by | Comments Off on AGA’s Paula Gant Appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Energy For Oil And Natural Gas


Paula GantThe American Gas Association (AGA) is proud to announce that Paula Gant, Ph.D. has been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for Oil and Natural Gas, Office of Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.  Paula currently serves as AGA’s Senior Vice President for Policy and Planning. She will join the team of U.S. Secretary of Energy, Dr. Ernest Moniz in the Obama Administration on September 9th. AGA’s President and CEO Dave McCurdy said:

“Paula Gant has been an incredibly knowledgeable and effective representative of the natural gas industry. Since joining AGA in 2006, Paula has been instrumental in developing public policy and strategy initiatives on behalf of the more than 200 member natural gas distribution member companies.  Paula has also been instrumental in enhancing our outreach efforts and has helped build an impressive internal Policy and Planning team, strengthening AGA’s reputation as a credible source of information.”

“One of Paula’s trademarks at AGA has been her work with constituents across the spectrum to help broaden understanding of the foundational role that natural gas serves in fueling economic growth while enhancing environmental quality.  Paula assumes her new role at DOE in an exciting time with the responsible development of our abundant unconventional natural gas resources yielding tremendous value for American homes and businesses.  In her new role, Paula’s ability to engage diverse interests around a common purpose will no doubt serve the Administration well as it seeks to, in the words of President Obama, develop homegrown energy to ‘save families money, make our businesses more competitive and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.’”

Prior to joining AGA, Paula worked for Duke Energy as vice president of government affairs and energy policy for Duke Energy Gas Transmission. Paula, a native of Louisiana, earned her Ph.D. in economics from Auburn University.

 

Posted in energy, Natural Gas, people | Comments Off on AGA’s Paula Gant Appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Energy For Oil And Natural Gas

Adam Cloch Natural Gas Market Indicators: Aug. 15, 2013

Posted on August 15, 2013 by and | Comments Off on Natural Gas Market Indicators: Aug. 15, 2013


Temperatures across the nation have cooled during the past three weeks, pulling down the warmer than normal conditions for the summer to 9.4 percent more cooling degree days – warmer than normal – since the first week of May. Regionally, the Pacific (31.9 percent warmer) and New England (54.7 percent warmer) regions have been warmest compared to normal, with the Middle Atlantic and Mountain regions also very warm. The center of the country has experienced, cumulatively, much more near normal conditions for the summer season to date.

With that said, hurricane activity this year in the Atlantic basin has been relatively calm though more activity is expected. Hurricane season normally gets more serious during August and September, but influences on domestic supply and prices (even short term impacts) have been muted in recent years because of the emergence of shale gas supplies, which are centered onshore in the U.S.

As of August 2, the Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane forecast team has reduced its estimate of nine hurricanes to eight, and four major storms to three for the remainder of the 2013 season. According to the CSU analysts, the Atlantic tropical water has cooled from original predictions in the eastern Atlantic and the chances of an El Nino event are very small. Each of those conditions points to some reduction in original activity forecasts.

Let’s see what August and September bring!

Visit this link to download the full Natural Gas Market Indicators report. Topics covered in this week’s report include: Reported Prices, Weather, Working Gas in Underground Storage, Natural Gas Production, Shale Gas, Rig Counts, Pipeline Imports and Exports, and LNG Markets.

Please direct questions and comments to Chris McGill at cmcgill@aga.org or Richard Meyer at rmeyer@aga.org.

Posted in environment, Natural Gas, people, science, weather | Comments Off on Natural Gas Market Indicators: Aug. 15, 2013

Adam Cloch Recapping 811 Day 2013

Posted on August 14, 2013 by | Comments Off on Recapping 811 Day 2013


Find out how your local natural gas utility promoted safe digging and how you can win a trip to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series World RV Sales 500.

August 11 has come and gone, which means another National 811 Day has too. But don’t worry – we have a recap in case you missed out, and there are still some great deals and ways to celebrate.

811 is the national “Call Before You Dig” number, created to help avoid accidental damage to utility lines caused by digging activity. With excavation damage still the leading cause of costly and sometimes fatal pipeline incidents, it’s important to remind communities about the importance of calling 811 before undertaking any type of digging activity.

Every year, as part of their commitment to safety, American Gas Association (AGA) member companies throughout the country promote 811 Day in their own unique ways. Last Sunday marked the seventh year that utilities, communities and other stakeholders have joined together to promote and celebrate  811 Day, and the fifth year for the national effort led by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), of which AGA is a founding member.

811 Day at the San Antonio Missions minor league baseball game. Photo Courtesy: Facebook CGA and Texas811

811 Day at the San Antonio Missions minor league baseball game.
Photo Courtesy: Facebook CGA and Texas811

Here are some highlights:

  • Baltimore Gas & Electric lit up downtown Baltimore with their impressive window light display. BGE also promoted 811 Day through various social media channels, a Safe Digging video, and a press release.
  • Vectren supported the new CGA TV spot “Don’t Ignore,” and also aided efforts to deliver cakes to TV and radio stations around Indiana to spread the 811 Day message.
  • Pacific Gas & Electric held several community and media outreach events at Home Depot stores that included: Picarro Surveyor vehicle demonstrations, gas and electric demonstration boards, hourly raffle draws, mark-and-locate demonstrations to provide a look at how PG&E marks its underground lines when 811 is called, and information and giveaways.
  • CenterPoint, Xcel Energy and Alliant Energy sponsored an 8.11K run/walk in Minnesota which was followed by a safety day event full of giveaways and Call Before You Dig messages.
  • Black Hills Energy helped promote 811 Day during an Iowa Cubs game on August 11. Ticket prices for the first 1,000 reserved tickets were sold for $8.11 and 1,000 additional general admission tickets were distributed to the public through several events.

Many other organizations and individuals chipped in to support 811 Day, and are still offering promotions you can take part in. Here are a few of the standout examples:

  • Beggars Pizza in Illinois and Indiana is offering small one-topping thin crust pizzas for $8.11 on Mondays through the entire month of August.
  • CGA and the 3M manufacturing company are working together to promote 811 through the Diggin’ Dega Sweepstakes effort. Beginning August 6 and running through September 13, fans who visit www.diggindega.com can enter to win a VIP trip for two to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 20, including airfare, two nights’ hotel stay, ground transportation while in Alabama and
    $500 spending money. To enter the sweepstakes, just “like” the Call Before You Dig page on Facebook.
  • This year the awesome 811 Bike made an appearance at the Oregon Utility Notification Center’s booth during the Bite of Oregon culinary event in Portland, Oregon.
  • 811 Runs were held in Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina and Kansas.
  • Texas 811 spread the safe digging message by sponsoring the August 11 Houston Astros baseball game against the Texas Rangers. Planes featured an 811 safety message banner flew over the park both before and after the game, and CGA President Bob Kipp threw out the first pitch.
  • A season-long promotion of 811 at the Kentucky Speedway has been underway since June.
  • John Tendell, a musician who works at the Utility Notification Center of Colorado got really creative and came up with an 811 song, entitled “811 Call Before You Dig.” To hear a short demo of the song, listen here.

811 Day is not the only dedicated time to remind people to practice safe digging. April is National Safe Digging Month (NSDM), and plenty of reminder events take place every year during the month. Many utility companies air PSAs and TV spots to promote safe digging, especially during planting season. The 811 Bike travels throughout the country, and community events are held in many cities and towns.

August 11 has passed, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to join in the effort to make a difference. You can (and should) still make the 811 Promise to help protect your community and keep your family safe and connected to critical services.

We can dig it, can you?  (Please call 811 before you do!)

 *Communications & Marketing Department Intern Terence Edelman contributed to this story.

Posted in 811, events, people, safety | Comments Off on Recapping 811 Day 2013

Adam Cloch 811 Day is Less Than One Week Away: 10 Ways to Celebrate and Save Lives

Posted on August 6, 2013 by | Comments Off on 811 Day is Less Than One Week Away: 10 Ways to Celebrate and Save Lives


August 11 is National 811 Day. Call 811 before you dig to reduce pipeline damage.

811logowithshovelDid you know there are more than 2 million miles of natural gas pipelines across the United States? This network makes up the safest energy delivery system in the country, and every day, customers and businesses rely on their local gas utilities to safely deliver the domestically-produced, clean, affordable natural gas they need to go about their lives. Safety is the top priority for the American Gas Association and its member companies, and the industry spends millions of dollars annually to upgrade and modernize natural gas infrastructure to ensure the safety of their customers and communities.

But third-party excavation damage – pipeline damage caused when a pipe is accidentally struck by equipment or activity related to digging such as that associated with construction activity, planting or home repair – is the leading cause of incidents in the natural gas pipeline system. Failing to take simple precautions to locate lines and dig safely can result in millions of dollars in damage, power loss and even injury or death.

The good news is this record is improving thanks to greater public awareness about safe digging practices, and the inception of the national Call Before You Dig campaign. All you and your neighbors have to do to help prevent pipeline damage is to dial three numbers – 811 – when planning a digging-related activity. Your local One Call center will notify your utility, which will send a locator to mark the location of your underground lines, pipes and cables so you can know where to avoid digging. This will save headaches, money – and most importantly – lives.

There are so many ways you can celebrate 811 Day this Sunday, August 11, and help spread the word. Here are 10:

  1. Make the 811 Promise.
  2. Listen to the 811 Song. Maybe do a little dance – we won’t judge.
  3. Watch an 811 video like this one, this one or this one.
  4. Find out if your local natural gas utility is hosting any 811 Day events. For example, Baltimore Gas & Electric will light up the sky and Pacific Gas and Electric is sponsoring several community events.
  5. Bake 811 Day cookies and share them with your friends or coworkers.
  6. At the beach? Draw 811 in the sand.
  7. Look out for 811 stickers, ads, posters or events. Maybe you’ll even spy the 811 Bike.
  8. Paint your nails like this dedicated One Call Center employee.
  9. If you bake cookies, draw in the sand, see a poster or do anything else, take a picture and let us know on Twitter or Facebook. Our favorite photos will be featured in a future blog post.
  10. Most importantly, spread the word. Tell your friends and neighbors to make the 811 promise, and always call before you dig.
Posted in 811, Natural Gas, safety, utility | Comments Off on 811 Day is Less Than One Week Away: 10 Ways to Celebrate and Save Lives