USEA testifies to energy industry efforts on climate goals in climate change hearing
The first House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change meeting since 2013 saw U.S. Energy Association Executive Director Barry Worthington testify on the positive efforts made by the industry.
This year marks the first time, according to the International Energy Agency, that the total number of people worldwide without access to energy fell below 1 billion. More than 120 million people gained access in 2017 alone, according to Worthington’s testimony. While recognizing the effects of climate change, he pointed to the U.S. industry’s efforts to address the matter, maintaining affordability even as carbon emissions and methane emissions declined, all despite increased natural gas production.
“We are moving in the right direction, and as global population grows, the energy industry is expected to provide 5 billion more energy consumers access by midcentury,” Worthington said. “We believe to increase energy access, reduce energy poverty and maintain our own reliable, strong energy systems, we need a diverse repertoire of energy supplies and technology, from renewables to fossil fuels to nuclear energy to alternative sources. We need to work toward assuring that fossil fuel utilization uses high efficiency/low emissions technology including carbon capture and storage.”
Thus far, carbon emissions fell 28 percent between 2005 and 2017, Worthington said. Methane emissions fell 18.6 percent over a larger period — from 1990 to 2015. The industry’s end goal, however, remains to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent. To this end, Worthington said, the industry has invested at least $120 billion in new technologies since 2000.