Natural gas is integral to maintaining the state’s quality of life, report notes
LANSING—A new report issued by API Michigan, Natural Gas and Oil Use in Michigan: Enhancing the Quality of Life for Michiganders, underscores the significant role natural gas has in the lives of Michigan residents. Not surprisingly, natural gas “plays a vital role in providing the quality of life Michigan residents enjoy,” the report begins.
“Michigan is the ninth largest consumer of natural gas in the United States,” noted Pete Langley, executive director of API-MI. That natural gas, he said, “has generated economic benefits for Michigan families and businesses. ... This report confirms that [natural gas is] helping our environment, it’s saving consumers money, and it’s keeping prices down for businesses operating in our state.”
Michigan routinely ranks among the top 10 U.S. states in total natural gas consumption. That consumption has only grown over the last decade, due largely to a 130 percent increase in the use of natural gas for low-emissions electricity generation. As a result of this increase, Michigan has been able to cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 25 percent from 2007 to 2017.
The benefits of Michigan’s natural gas don’t stop at the state line. Michigan and neighboring states are able to draw on a significant amount of underground natural gas storage for peak demand periods. According to the report, “Michigan’s 1.07 trillion cubic feet of underground natural gas storage represents one-tenth of U.S. ability and the largest in the nation. The state’s unique geological features, with highly porous fields, make them among the best for underground storage in North America.”
