Environmental Benefits

As the cleanest-burning fossil fuel, natural gas plays an important role in improving the environment by reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S.

Natural gas produces half as much carbon dioxide and an even smaller fraction of other air emission generated by coal. That’s why electric utilities across the country are rapidly switching from coal to natural gas as a way to combat climate change and reduce air pollution.

Natural gas vehicles are also dramatically cleaner than gasoline vehicles. Natural gas vehicles produce 20 to 30 percent fewer carbon emissions than gasoline, and anywhere from 50 to 95 percent fewer emissions of other common air pollutants. That’s one more way the natural gas industry is stepping up in a major way to improve air quality in cities and towns across the U.S.