Exploring Policies to Stimulate the Use of Shale Gas Resources
This free conference hosted by the WVU College of Law’s Center for Energy and Sustainable Development promises an unbiased and informative exploration of policies that would stimulate the demand for natural gas and stabilize domestic prices at economically viable levels.As a result of the success of shale gas development and advancing technology that continues to reduce the costs of extracting natural gas from shale, natural gas prices have declined to levels that jeopardize the continued expansion of the domestic natural gas industry, potentially denying, and at least slowing, the economic and sustainability benefits to the region of developing the Marcellus Shale.
In the face of low domestic prices, producers are moving forward with plans to build several liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities to take advantage of higher global prices for natural gas. This conference will examine the policies that would take advantage of our domestic natural gas resources to stimulate economic growth in the region and chart a more sustainable energy path.
The conference will feature speakers from industry, government, and environmental organizations exploring policies that could produce benefits in the form of:
(1) lower energy costs for industry,
(2) substantial reductions in transportation costs,
(3) environmental benefits through reduced air emissions, and
(4) the revitalization of the region’s chemical industry and the associated economic growth.