Reminder – The Next Building Energy Codes and Standards Committee (BECS) Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, September 25-26, 2024, at The St. Anthony Hotel in San Antonio, TX.

Status of Proposed Changes for the Next Edition of the National Fuel Gas Code.

The First Draft Meeting of the ANSI Z223.1/NFPA 54 National Fuel Gas Code Committee will be held on September 17 – 19, 2024 in Charlotte, NC at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Uptown.  Additional information on the process for developing the 2027 Edition of the NFGC is posted on the 2027 NFGC webpage . The major item for discussion at the meeting will be reviewing and responding to public comments submitted on the NFGC . The public comments are attached and BECS Committee members are encouraged to review all comments and provide us with feedback on the major, changes being proposed.  BECS staff is reviewing all proposals and will be working with the AGA BECS Committee members (NFGC Roster attached) serving on the NFGC committee and discussing responses to the public comments.

New Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report Shows Decrease in Greenhouse Emissions from Natural Gas.

In the variety of BECS Committee activities involved in end use codes and standards issues including building energy codes, federal appliance, and equipment minimum efficiency standards, etc., anti-fossil fuels proponents often raise the issue of greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas as a justification for their position to eliminate or restrict the use of natural gas based on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  In order to provide updated fact-based information on green house emissions from natural gas, AGA is sharing the 2024 iteration of Understanding Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Natural Gas, developed with analysis from SLR Consulting. This report provides updated data and analysis of the natural gas system based on the EPA’s Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990 – 2022. In 2022, the U.S. reported net GHG emissions of 5,489 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MMTCO2e), reflecting a 1% increase from 2021 due to the ongoing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this rise, emissions are 16.5% below 2005 levels, largely due to a shift towards less CO2-intensive natural gas and increased renewable energy in the power sector. Emissions from natural gas systems alone amounted to 209.7 MMTCO2e in 2022, marking a 17% reduction from 1990 levels and a slight 0.3% decrease from the previous year, with the decline primarily driven by reductions in methane (CH4) emissions. Methane emissions from natural gas systems were recorded at 173.1 MMTCO2e in 2022, which represents a nearly 21% decrease since 1990 and a 1% reduction from 2021. Notably, there was a 55% increase in distribution mains mileage since 1990, reaching 1,352,384 miles in 2022. For a detailed examination of these findings and more, please refer to the complete report here. The documentation of the downward trend in greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas especially with the added gas distribution systems throughout the country are an indication of the positive approaches that the natural gas industry has and continues to make the decreases.  BECS Committee members are encouraged to review the study and pass it on to others within your organization as a useful resource that can be cited in a number of areas, that documents the natural gas industries commitment to help improve the climate.  If you have any questions, on the analysis, contact AGA’s Morgan Hoy,  Manager, Economic and Regulatory Analysis at [email protected].