Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Tom Ridge became the first Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and, on January 24, 2003, became the first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  Before the events of September 11^th, Tom Ridge was twice elected Governor of Pennsylvania.

You can read the rest of his bio over at Ridge Global. Very interesting read. Hope to see you there on Thursday.

On April 28, Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the American Gas Association (AGA), was the guest speaker at the monthly Natural Gas Roundtable meeting.  He stressed that 2011 will prove to be a year of seismic change for the country’s energy priorities.

What will this mean for the natural gas industry?

“Geopolitical unrest in Africa and the Middle East will maintain upward pressure on the price of crude oil,” said McCurdy. “And I am not talking years, I am talking decades.”

While that will put pressure on our economy, he said, “there is a bright spot. That is natural gas. Natural gas has the potential to help move this country toward an environmentally sustainable, economically viable and domestic energy policy.”

McCurdy emphasized one shift within the industry that is not tangible, but it represents the new role natural gas is playing in our lives. Natural gas has been referred to as a bridge fuel that will sustain us until we can rely solely on renewable alternatives, but with more than 100 years of supply natural gas is more than a bridge, it is a foundation fuel.

It is our most powerful domestic asset, right beneath our feet, which will help lessen our dependence on foreign energy supplies, create American jobs, continue to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide consumers an affordable and reliable energy.

There will be challenges. “The challenges we will face are not physical or technical,” McCurdy said. “They are political.”

“There is a lot of energy being moved from wellhead to burner tip throughout the natural gas industry and that is why our industry is embedded in a safety culture,” said McCurdy. “We need responsible resource development, plain and simple.”

Newell explained that as technology allows developers to tap gas trapped in shale formations around the country, natural gas prices should remain consistent.  EIA anticipates an increase in the natural gas resource base, which can have an impact on prices in the downward direction and on production in the upward direction.

Newell did not provide any more details on the upcoming projections, to be included in EIA’s annual energy outlook in December with projections through 2035. However, the forecast will consider the two areas of dynamic change: short term outlook and view on the long term. In terms of the exact impact of the changes, we’ll have to see once it’s pulled together in an integrated outlook.

Guy F. Caruso is a senior advisor in the CSIS Energy and National Security Program.  He served as Administrator, Energy Information Administration (EIA) from July 2002 to September 2008.  Mr. Caruso has acquired more than 40 years of energy experience, with particular emphasis on topics relating to energy markets, policy and security.

John Hatley, Americas Vice President Ship Power for Wartsila North America, has more than 30 years of combined marine experience spanning business development, project management of domestic and overseas vessel construction, owner’s representation, ship operations and vessel design.

If you can make it, be sure to send an email to Ella today.

The next roundtable will feature Dr. Ernest J. Moniz, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Moniz is part of the group at MIT that is working on The Future of Natural Gas, a study that analyzes the role of natural gas in a carbon constrained environment. This study is the third in a series and while not yet final the preliminary report has been in the news quite a bit lately. The first two parts of the series were The Future of Nuclear released in 2003 and the Future of Coal, released in 2007.

The study takes the position that natural gas will play a leading role in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions over the next several decades, largely by replacing older, inefficient coal plants with highly efficient combined-cycle gas generation. From the release on the report:

“The report includes a set of specific proposals for legislative and regulatory policies, as well as recommendations for actions that the energy industry can pursue on its own, to maximize the fuel’s impact on mitigating greenhouse gas. The study also examined ways to control the environmental impacts that could result from a significant expansion in the production and use of natural gas — especially in electric power production.”

“Much has been said about natural gas as a bridge to a low-carbon future, with little underlying analysis to back up this contention. The analysis in this study provides the confirmation — natural gas truly is a bridge to a low-carbon future,” said MITEI Director Ernest J. Moniz in introducing the report  . . . “For the next several decades, however, natural gas will play a crucial role in enabling very substantial reductions in carbon emissions.”

Some links you might find helpful:

A brief summary of the study at MyEcoProject

The release on the study from MIT (lots of info, six pages)

The interim report at MIT

This Natural Gas Roundtable is scheduled for Tuesday, July 27, 12:30 p.m. at the University Club in Northwest DC. If you’d like to attend just contact Ella at 202-824-7207 or at eproctor@aga.org by COB on Monday.

Here’s his bio:
Working with the Bank’s global commodities research and trading units, Mr. Sieminski forecasts energy market trends and writes on a variety of topics involving energy economics, climate change, politics and commodity prices.  From 1998 to 2005 he served as the energy strategist for Deutsche Bank’s global oil & gas equity team.  He was the senior energy analyst for NatWest Securities in the US during 1988-1997, covering the major US international integrated oil companies. Adam Sieminski has been president of the US Association for Energy Economics and the National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts.

If you want to attend just contact Ella at 202-824-7207 or at eproctor@aga.org by COB on Monday. See you there.

Dave Parker, President of the American Gas Association,  Skip Horvath, President of the Natural Gas Supply Association, and Bill Cooper, President of the Center for LNG.

A number of issues in Washington and beyond face the natural gas industry in the year ahead. The Natural Gas Roundtable is pleased to announce that our first meeting for 2010 will be on Tuesday, March 23rd and will focus on the Natural Gas Industry Outlook for 2010, and feature a panel discussion on the issues and opportunities among the leadership of the various trade associations representing the respective industry segments. Please join us for this unique program and hear from Dave Parker, President of the American Gas Association, Bill Cooper, President of the Center for LNG, and Skip Horvath, President of the Natural Gas Supply Association.

The Roundtable is going to be at the University Club (1135 16th Street, NW). The reception starts at noon, panel begins at 12:30. Seating is limited so if you haven’t registered yet you’ll need to send an email to Ella. Leave us a note in the comments if you plan on attending.
A number of issues in Washington and beyond face the natural gas industry in the year ahead. The Natural Gas Roundtable is pleased to announce that our first meeting for 2010 will be on Tuesday, March 23rd and will focus on the Natural Gas Industry Outlook for 2010, and feature a panel discussion on the issues and opportunities among the leadership of the various trade associations representing the respective industry segments. Please join us for this unique program and hear from Dave Parker, President of the American Gas Association, Bill Cooper, President of the Center for LNG, and Skip Horvath, President of the Natural Gas Supply Association.

Here’s some short snippets from each from their bios.

Congressman Boren sits on the House Natural Resources Committee where he helps protect the interests of America’s oil and natural gas industry and its millions of consumers.

Prior to public office, Dan served as the President and CEO of the Seminole State College Educational Foundation. He has also served as a senior aide at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and worked on the staff of former U.S. Congressman Wes Watkins. Dan is also involved in numerous organizations and is an avid outdoorsman and hunter.

Dan earned his B.S. in Economics and went on to obtain an M.B.A. at University of Oklahoma. He and his sister Carrie were born to former Oklahoma Governor and U.S. Senator David Boren and the late Janna L. Robbins. His grandfather, Lyle H. Boren, represented southeastern Oklahomans in the U.S. Congress from 1937-47. Carrying on his family’s tradition of excellent public service, Dan serves by the values instilled him at a young age – values of faith, hard work, and personal responsibility. Dan, his wife Andrea, and their daughter Janna reside in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Congressman Murphy represents the 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. The district includes parts of Allegheny, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. He serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee and is an influential voice for domestic energy production.

One of eleven brothers and sisters, he learned first-hand the many blessings of family, the importance of education, and the value of hard work and opportunity. His early jobs ranged from cleaning horse stalls, bailing hay, and making mail pouch tobacco. Tim paid his own way through college and graduate school, earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Wheeling Jesuit University, a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Cleveland State University, and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. He worked at several Western Pennsylvania hospitals (Children’s Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Magee Women’s Hospital), consulted for many Western Pennsylvania schools, and established his own private practice.

Tim has served on the boards of the Western PA Historical Society, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and the National Aviary. He also loves music and plays guitar.

If you want to attend, and really why wouldn’t you, you have to contact Ella at 202-824-7207 or at eproctor@aga.org by COB on Monday, November 16. Hope to see you there.

The Natural Gas Roundtable is pleased to announce that U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Gary Gensler, will be the guest speaker at the October 27^th luncheon.

Mr. Gensler was sworn in as the Chairman of the CFTC on May 26, 2009. Chairman Gensler previously served at the U.S. Department of the Treasury as Under Secretary of Domestic Finance (1999-2001) and as Assistant Secretary of Financial Markets (1997-1999).  He subsequently served as a Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, Senator Paul Sarbanes, on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reforming corporate responsibility, accounting and securities laws.

The roundtable is always a good time. If you want to attend, you’ll need to contact Ella Proctor by COB on Thursday, October 22. You can reach Ella at 202-824-7207 or eproctor@aga.org