In preparation for an emergency summit later this week of the National Petroleum Council (NPC) on natural gas issues, the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) sent Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham a list of short- and medium-term recommendations on how to deal with the “natural gas crisis that is dismantling the nation’s manufacturing base.”

“We are calling on the president to declare war on high natural gas prices,” said Paul N. Cicio, executive director of the IECA, which represents major chemical, steel and manufacturing companies. “Invoking of emergency executive powers [is] necessary to bring about the short-term regulatory changes needed to reduce the threat of natural gas shortages and prevent sustained high price levels.”

The paper, “Recommended Emergency Actions for Federal and State Policy Makers,” lists 13 short- and medium-term actions that include both supply and demand side recommendations, including the following key measures:

Earlier this year, the IECA sent a letter to every member of Congress explaining its concerns about natural gas. The IECA said the manufacturing sector has lost two million jobs since 1998 and energy costs are a major contributing factor (see Daily GPI, Jan. 22). The group suggested a variety of methods to increase gas supply, including reinstating the expired Section 29 tax credits, which had an important impact on increasing natural gas production from 1990 to 1999. It also recommended expediting access to federal lands that offer the greatest potential to find large reserves of natural gas with minimal environmental impact, and permitting and constructing the Alaska natural gas pipeline and liquefied natural gas import terminals.

Abraham has requested that NPC sponsor a one-day summit on Thursday to “identify and explore the ramifications and potential resolutions of short-term challenges to the natural gas industry.” The summit is being structured around panel discussions. It will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT on June 26 in the Grand Ballroom of The Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC, and will adjourn at 4 p.m. For more information, go to https://www.npc.org/.

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