U.S. energy czar touts natural gas during visit
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Describing the drilling process as environmentally sound, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Thursday championed natural gas production in a city that banned the practice more than a year ago.
Mr. Chu, the nation's top energy official since 2009 and the 1997 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics, toured the National Energy Technology Laboratory in South Park and then stopped in Pittsburgh to laud Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's use of a $3.4 million Energy Department grant.
During a news conference in the mayor's office, Mr. Chu raised the issue of natural gas production, saying the resource must be developed for economic and national security reasons. He spoke just steps from where city council, concerned about the environmental and health impacts of gas drilling, adopted a citywide ban on production in 2010.
"The long story short is, we believe it can be done in an environmentally responsible way," Mr. Chu said, noting the Energy Department has played a role in researching safe drilling.
He said gas production helps to drive down energy costs and has the potential to become the fuel of choice for long-haul trucks, which account for much of the nation's transportation energy costs. Mr. Chu said the industry has a duty to be "open and transparent" about environmental issues and to quickly fix problems when they occur.
Mr. Chu also met with representatives of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a gas industry group, for about 45 minutes. Kathryn Klaber, coalition president, said Mr. Chu stressed the importance of safety measures.
The city's ban, which the gas industry called illegal, took effect without Mr. Ravenstahl's support. Taking effect last year, also without the mayor's support, was a second bill intended to hold gas companies and regulators responsible for any pollution of Pittsburgh that occurs because of drilling mishaps in other municipalities.
Mr. Ravenstahl said the Energy Department grant would be used to upgrade steam and electrical systems at the City-County Building. He said the work would begin Feb. 27 and take eight months. It's expected to cut $475,000 annually from the $2.8 million spent each year on steam and electricity.
First Published February 10, 2012 12:00 am
