The U.S. natural gas industry is enjoying a burst of good fortune lately, with record production, a growing share of electric power markets and exports to other countries. But with increasingly dire reports of climate change, gas, like coal before it, is getting more scrutiny for its carbon and methane emissions.
In this episode of Columbia Energy Exchange, host Bill Loveless is joined by Karen Harbert, the President and CEO of the American Gas Association. Karen’s new to the job, having joined AGA in April after heading the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute. Before that, she was an Assistant Secretary for Policy and International affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy under President George W. Bush and a Deputy Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
In the private sector, Karen worked to develop infrastructure in countries in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. Her arrival at AGA comes as the gas industry like other energy sectors vies to establish its role in U.S. energy market amid growing concerns over climate change. Karen and Bill talked about that as well as the Green New Deal, methane, carbon taxes, carbon sequestration and more.