Ahh! Someone is Listening!
Please see the following response that I received from U.S. Senator Mark D. Pryor (D) Arkansas-
Dear Ms. Howard:
Thank you for contacting me regarding T. Boone Pickens’ Plan. I appreciate hearing from you.
In recent weeks, I and the bipartisan Gang of 20 attended a briefing with T. Boone Pickens to hear his ideas and proposed plan regarding using compressed natural gas as a transportation fuel.
I am committed to facilitating the deployment of alternative and renewable energy technologies to increase our nation's energy efficiency; however, there are significant roadblocks hindering this deployment. Additional technology development and market barriers such as the high cost of production hamper the successful deployment of alternative and renewable energy sources, including natural gas production. I believe Congress must work diligently to alleviate the complications these barriers create. Therefore, I have been an ardent supporter of legislation to address these issues. I have repeatedly supported the creation, extension, and expansion of federal tax incentives for these technologies.
As you may know, the Fayetteville Shale play in Northwest Arkansas is a new energy discovery that has the potential to provide a significant amount of natural gas and possibly some oil to our energy markets. The shale gas was originally produced through vertical wells, but operators are increasingly going to horizontal wells in the Fayetteville Shale. Producers include SEECO (a subsidiary of Southwestern Energy Co. that discovered the play), Chesapeake Energy, Noble Energy Corp., XTO Energy Inc., Contango Oil & Gas Co., Edge Petroleum Corp., Triangle Petroleum Corp., and Kerogen Resources Inc. In order to transport the natural gas, Boardwalk Pipeline Partners is constructing the Fayetteville Lateral, consisting of approximately 167 miles of 36 inch pipeline that will originate in Conway County, Arkansas and proceed east through the Bald Knob, Arkansas area to an interconnect with Boardwalk's Texas Gas pipeline in Coahoma County, Mississippi. The Fayetteville Lateral will receive gas from multiple points in the Fayetteville Shale play in central Arkansas and deliver the gas to new and existing markets.
I recently joined with a bipartisan group of 20 senators to propose a comprehensive energy bill that would increase conservation and energy efficiency, opens new areas of the OCS for exploration and development, and extends and expands incentives for renewable energy. The New Energy Reform Act of 2008 (the “New ERA”) calls for a focused effort to transition the nation’s motor vehicle fleets to fuels other than gasoline and diesel. To ease gas prices in the interim, the proposal includes significant conservation provisions, consumer tax credits, and responsible measures to increase domestic production of oil through responsible drilling. The proposed new areas for exploration include the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The reasons these areas were selected for exploration and development are that these locations have known reserves of oil and natural gas, there is existing infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico to transport the energy resources to the mainland, and the Southeastern states have expressed interest in permitting off-shore drilling. I believe it is important to focus our nation’s efforts on those areas where there is a reasonable expectation to discover oil and gas and where the states are willing to work with the federal government.
I am open to considering all alternative fuels, including those mentioned in the T. Boone Pickens plan; however, right now I feel it makes most sense for compressed natural gas to be used for fleet vehicles and mass transit buses that can return to a dedicated refueling station every night. As the Senate searches for more solutions to the need for increased supply of energy sources, I assure you I will keep your views in mind.
Again, thank you for your letter. I encourage you to be an active participant in government. Your input will help me make good, balanced decisions for the people of Arkansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my office again if I can be of assistance to you or if there is a matter of concern to you.
Sincerely,
Mark Pryor
United States Senate
Save money at the pump by taking the Drive Smarter Challenge: www.drivesmarterchallenge.org
Please Note, this is not a monitored email account. Due to the sheer volume of correspondence I receive, I ask that constituents please contact me
via my website with any responses or additional concerns.
Dear Ms. Howard:
Thank you for contacting me regarding T. Boone Pickens’ Plan. I appreciate hearing from you.
In recent weeks, I and the bipartisan Gang of 20 attended a briefing with T. Boone Pickens to hear his ideas and proposed plan regarding using compressed natural gas as a transportation fuel.
I am committed to facilitating the deployment of alternative and renewable energy technologies to increase our nation's energy efficiency; however, there are significant roadblocks hindering this deployment. Additional technology development and market barriers such as the high cost of production hamper the successful deployment of alternative and renewable energy sources, including natural gas production. I believe Congress must work diligently to alleviate the complications these barriers create. Therefore, I have been an ardent supporter of legislation to address these issues. I have repeatedly supported the creation, extension, and expansion of federal tax incentives for these technologies.
As you may know, the Fayetteville Shale play in Northwest Arkansas is a new energy discovery that has the potential to provide a significant amount of natural gas and possibly some oil to our energy markets. The shale gas was originally produced through vertical wells, but operators are increasingly going to horizontal wells in the Fayetteville Shale. Producers include SEECO (a subsidiary of Southwestern Energy Co. that discovered the play), Chesapeake Energy, Noble Energy Corp., XTO Energy Inc., Contango Oil & Gas Co., Edge Petroleum Corp., Triangle Petroleum Corp., and Kerogen Resources Inc. In order to transport the natural gas, Boardwalk Pipeline Partners is constructing the Fayetteville Lateral, consisting of approximately 167 miles of 36 inch pipeline that will originate in Conway County, Arkansas and proceed east through the Bald Knob, Arkansas area to an interconnect with Boardwalk's Texas Gas pipeline in Coahoma County, Mississippi. The Fayetteville Lateral will receive gas from multiple points in the Fayetteville Shale play in central Arkansas and deliver the gas to new and existing markets.
I recently joined with a bipartisan group of 20 senators to propose a comprehensive energy bill that would increase conservation and energy efficiency, opens new areas of the OCS for exploration and development, and extends and expands incentives for renewable energy. The New Energy Reform Act of 2008 (the “New ERA”) calls for a focused effort to transition the nation’s motor vehicle fleets to fuels other than gasoline and diesel. To ease gas prices in the interim, the proposal includes significant conservation provisions, consumer tax credits, and responsible measures to increase domestic production of oil through responsible drilling. The proposed new areas for exploration include the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The reasons these areas were selected for exploration and development are that these locations have known reserves of oil and natural gas, there is existing infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico to transport the energy resources to the mainland, and the Southeastern states have expressed interest in permitting off-shore drilling. I believe it is important to focus our nation’s efforts on those areas where there is a reasonable expectation to discover oil and gas and where the states are willing to work with the federal government.
I am open to considering all alternative fuels, including those mentioned in the T. Boone Pickens plan; however, right now I feel it makes most sense for compressed natural gas to be used for fleet vehicles and mass transit buses that can return to a dedicated refueling station every night. As the Senate searches for more solutions to the need for increased supply of energy sources, I assure you I will keep your views in mind.
Again, thank you for your letter. I encourage you to be an active participant in government. Your input will help me make good, balanced decisions for the people of Arkansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my office again if I can be of assistance to you or if there is a matter of concern to you.
Sincerely,
Mark Pryor
United States Senate
Save money at the pump by taking the Drive Smarter Challenge: www.drivesmarterchallenge.org
Please Note, this is not a monitored email account. Due to the sheer volume of correspondence I receive, I ask that constituents please contact me
via my website with any responses or additional concerns.
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