ST. PAUL, MINN. – Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David K. Garman traveled to St. Paul, Minn. today to talk about potential natural gas shortages facing the nation that may have a significant impact on the lives of seniors, small business owners and other individuals in the coming months.
Assistant Secretary Garman participated in the Department of Energy’s Regional Natural Gas Forum at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul. The forum brought together representatives from consumer groups, industry and government for an open discussion on short-term solutions to the natural gas problem.
“This is not about low reserves or supply and demand imbalances,” Assistant Secretary Garman said. “This is about real people and the real problems they confront when gas prices soar. It’s about senior citizens, living on fixed incomes, being forced to choose between skyrocketing heating bills or some other of life’s necessities. It’s about small business owners trying to keep the lights on.”
Assistant Secretary Garman stated that current stocks of natural gas in underground storage are unusually low due to a combination of cold weather in parts of the country and declines in both domestic production and net imports. At the same time, he said, demand is projected to grow 50 percent over the next 25 years.
“While we work to increase our production and storage capacity for natural gas, we must also focus on using our natural gas resources wisely,” Assistant Secretary Garman said. “Individuals, business and government can play an important role in reducing energy use.”
Minnesota is currently targeting over 22 million square feet of commercial, government and educational floor space in Minneapolis and St. Paul for retrofit through “Partners for Energy Efficiency.” Through the Minnesota Department of Commerce and with support from DOE's State Energy Program, Minnesota has implemented the state's building codes as another investment in national energy priorities.
The St. Paul meeting was one of several regional forums to be held across the country as part of Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham’s Smart Energy campaign, announced on July 9. Campaign activities include the Energysavers.gov website that educates consumers on specific steps they can take to conserve energy, a letter from the Secretary to all 50 governors with recommended actions that states can take to improve the natural gas situation, and public service announcements available on the Energysavers.gov website for use by radio stations throughout the country.
