Debate: Is Natural Gas “Green Energy” or a Fossil Fuel?

Is natural gas “green energy” or a fossil fuel? Does natural gas harm the environment?

On January 6, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill into law classifying natural gas as “green energy.” Tying the “green” label to a fossil fuel that drives global warming has created some confusion, but it’s a potentially powerful branding tool for U.S. leaders seeking to advance their respective causes.

Read on to learn about the debate surrounding natural gas and the “green energy” label.

Is Natural Gas Really “Green Energy”?

On January 6, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill into law classifying natural gas as “green energy.” DeWine isn’t the only U.S. leader putting the concept of “green” fossil fuels to work: President Biden recently met with foreign officials and energy companies to set standards for “climate-friendly” Certified Natural Gas, as part of a broader effort to secure American footing in the global production and export of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). What are all these gasses? Is natural gas “green energy”—and why are U.S. leaders in both political parties talking about it? We’ll examine these questions in this article. 

Know Your Gasses

Before we dive into our first question—is natural gas actually “green energy”—it will help to know (a) that natural gas is the root of all fossil fuel energy sources discussed in this article and (b) some common names used to describe it.

• Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed from plant and animal remains. It’s used in residential homes and businesses to heat, cool, and cook. Climate advocates argue that natural gas should instead be called “methane gas” for its primary component, methane—a major contributor to global warming.

• “Green” natural gas is a classification that the U.S. doesn’t recognize as legitimate. It’s natural gas with the word “green” attached to it. The Ohio bill brought the term to the forefront in recent weeks when it defined “green energy” as:
  • Energy made with natural gas
  • An energy source that either gives off fewer air pollutants (so doesn’t contribute to cumulative air emissions) and is more sustainable and reliable compared with fossil fuels.

• Certified Natural Gas is natural gas that an independent, third party has deemed “climate-friendly” based on methodologies and technologies that are not, as of yet, standardized.

• Liquefied Natural Gas is natural gas that’s been converted from its gaseous state into a liquid through a cooling and compression process to make it easier to transport. 

Who’s Calling Natural Gas “Green”?

The Ohio bill defining natural gas using the climate-friendly moniker was inspired by European regulators’ decision last summer to allow new natural gas and power projects to be classified as green energy—enabling them to take advantage of subsidies as the EU faces energy challenges.

• Natural gas proponents who support the Ohio bill argue that switching from coal to natural gas has been the top driver of reduced greenhouse gas emissions. They further assert that: “The [green] label itself is an awareness thing…a first step toward letting people realize that natural gas has been around…we feel it’s helped reduce emissions.”

• Other natural gas supporters helped Ohio lawmakers disseminate the “natural gas is green energy” narrative, including The Empowerment Alliance, a dark money group linked to the gas industry; and the American Legislative Exchange Council, an anonymously funded network of businesses, state lawmakers, and conservative donors.

Who Objects to the “Green” Natural Gas Label?

Environmental experts and advocates contend that natural gas can’t be called “green energy” because: 

• It’s a fossil fuel that emits greenhouse gasses and contributes to climate change.  

• Some fossil fuels are dirtier than coal.

Green Is a Non-Partisan Color 

Though Republicans and Governor DeWine drove the green energy natural gas initiative in Ohio, they’re not the only U.S. leaders to strategically employ the concept of natural gas as a climate-friendly fossil fuel to advance a political cause. 

Recently, President Biden held talks with global energy companies and leaders to set standards for Certified Natural Gas, with the broader goal of securing the United State’s position as top global producer and exporter of Liquefied Natural Gas. Similar to the Ohio bill’s generous reframing of the fossil fuel as green, certified natural gas isn’t as climate-friendly as its branding suggests. 

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