Replacing fossil fuels

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.

It is difficult to find good news about energy issues while high oil prices continue to cause genuine pain in the pocketbook. You know gas prices are ridiculously high when people express relief, even temporary joy, at being able to pay slightly less than $4 a gallon.

That is why it was a pleasant surprise to read in The New York Times on Monday that natural gas production is enjoying a revival the likes of which have not been seen in the United States since the late 1950s.

Because natural gas burns cleaner than oil or coal, its use can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote a healthier environment.

With modern drilling technology and the discovery of new gas fields, it is now estimated that America has a roughly 40-year supply of natural gas. That may not seem like much, but it should buy this country more time to develop inexpensive vehicles that run on electricity or other forms of clean-burning energy. That, in turn, will enable us to move away from our heavy reliance on foreign crude oil. Lowering the demand for oil would also contribute to lower gasoline prices.

Increased natural gas production also should give us more time to make solar and wind technology affordable ways of providing electricity to homes and businesses. That would also enable us to replace coal-fired generating plants that pollute the air.

With so much misplaced attention on whether we should drill for more oil offshore, a bad idea that will benefit only Big Oil, we would be much better off if we concentrated on drilling for more natural gas.

We should do all we can to encourage natural gas exploration because it can serve as a bridge from the dirty fossil fuels of yesteryear to the green energy options of the future. With global warming becoming a bigger problem and with high gasoline prices forcing Americans to export billions of dollars overseas, it is time we begin crossing that bridge.