Natural Gas is Now the Number One Energy Source, Coal Stays Behind

Tom Boden, director of the Energy Department’s Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center at Oak Ridge National Lab, said that in 2010 people were traveling, and manufacturing was back up worldwide, spurring the use of fossil fuels, the chief contributor of man-made climate change.

For the first time in USA history, natural gas has become the top source for electricity generation, overtaking coal.

In its Annual Energy Outlook, the EIA projected that coal will supply 36% of USA electricity in 2015 while gas will supply 31%.

The Williams Cos. VIA BLOOMBERG NEWS A Williams Cos. natural gas pipeline is pictured in this undated company photo. However, new regulations that aim to restrict the emission of greenhouse gasses, and the risk that more are on the way, have added pressure to make the switch. The boom in drilling and fracking turned United States into the largest producer of natural gas in the world.

The Obama administration next month is expected to complete a so-called Clean Power Plan intended to cut earth-warming pollution from power plants by 30 percent by 2030.

Year-to-date, coal has supplied 34.8% of the nation’s electricity compared to 29.2% for gas, but the April figures represent a dramatic shift over the past few years.

The amount of coal and gas used will continue to vary depending on price.