TransCanada Testifies at U.S. Senate Committee Discussing Lowering Carbon Emissions

TransCanada Corporation outlined its views on the role of natural gas in mitigating climate change when TransCanada Executive Vice-President of Pipeline Strategy and Development Dennis McConaghy testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

McConaghy stated that TransCanada believes increased use of natural gas can make a significant contribution to meeting the energy security and climate objectives of the U.S. This is due to the facts that the supply of natural gas is largely domestic, is abundant, is the cleanest burning hydrocarbon and there is substantial infrastructure currently in place to bring the gas to market.

TransCanada believes that effective U.S. climate policy should recognize the significant potential of natural gas in meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction objectives in both the short and long term.

In the short term, meaningful GHG emission reductions can be achieved by more fully utilizing already installed natural gas electric generation capacity. And, because of abundant and readily available supplies, these emission reductions can be achieved without a substantial impact on natural gas prices.

In the longer term, TransCanada believes that North America’s abundant natural gas resource supplies can be one of the foundations upon which United States climate change policy is built.

With electric generation accounting for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, burning more natural gas for electric generation will produce immediate and verifiable GHG emission reductions. When new generation capacity is required, natural gas has significant advantages as a low carbon generating resource that is easily and quickly transported.

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