Natural gas utilities can help lead the transition to a carbonless energy future in the United States, Sempra Energy CEO Jeffrey Martin said last week. 

California, where two of Sempra’s three major U.S. utilities operate, has a regulatory proceeding to develop a strategy for a phased approach to developing a multi-decade strategy for gas. Martin also offered a national perspective on what is driving the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

“For several decades the United States has led the world in reducing energy-produced emissions,” Martin told analysts during a third quarter earnings call. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that energy emissions were held flat worldwide last year. “The U.S. economy last year grew by about 2.3% and reduced...