Natural gas helps power Vermont’s way of life. From ski lifts to apple orchards, electronics manufacturing to ice cream production, natural gas serves as an affordable and reliable source of energy.
The natural gas industry contributed a half-million dollars to the Green Mountain State’s economy in 2015, supporting 4,000 jobs and supplying 49,000 consumers with heat and hot water businesses and homes across the state use every day.
Natural gas decreases Vermont’s emissions.
In Vermont, natural gas is primarily used to power transportation, providing residents with the benefits of minimized emissions and savings on transportation expenses. In both getting to and from work, and at home, where 69 percent of residential customers use natural gas for home heating, the industry is at the service of the state.
Natural gas as a fuel choice for vehicles contributes to clean, affordable and reliable energy use, resulting in energy efficiency and decreased emissions. Customers in Vermont who utilize natural gas for their cars avoid carbon emissions equivalent to nearly 10 percent of the emissions of Vermont’s daily commute output.
Vermont has great room for growth.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Vermont produces only about one-fourth of state energy needs. Residents often depend on power from out-of-state and Canada.
But natural gas is helping to reverse that trend, working with the state to expand access to natural gas channels and, this year, completing a major expansion project to fuel homes and businesses outside the Burlington area. As Vermont continues channeling cash flow and economic infrastructure in-state, more Vermonters will be able to heat their homes and water affordably, in the coming years.
Natural gas helps protect Vermont’s environment.
Natural gas can dramatically reduce the emissions of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. For example, when used to generate electricity, natural gas produces half the CO2 emissions of coal. As the use of natural gas by electricity-generating plants has increased, power sector CO2 emission levels are at their lowest levels in nearly 30 years.
In fact, natural gas can have such a profound impact on emissions that the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that switching to natural gas accounted for almost two-thirds of the CO2 emission reductions from 2006 to 2014. From the Green Mountains to Lake Champlain, natural gas is helping keep Vermont clean and its environment green and healthy.