NATURAL GAS Foreign imports on the rise

The energy secretary still hopes Congress will allow drilling in an Arctic refuge.
By RAY HAFNER
STATES NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON -- While part of the Bush administration is angling to drive the country away from foreign imports, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham projected that one-quarter of all natural gas used in the United States will be imported by 2005.
In a recent speech to energy professionals at a conference sponsored by Deloitte & amp; Touche, Abraham said that U.S. energy demands are skyrocketing and that developing a national plan is critical to addressing the problems.
The House has already passed a national energy bill, and the Senate is in the final stages of developing its version of such a plan.
Whether those plans meet Abraham's vision of an energy policy, or the Bush administration's, remains to be seen.
Currently, energy statistics show that there will be a 43 percent increase in all energy demand by 2025 and a 54 percent rise in natural gas consumption.
"In recent years [natural gas] has become the fuel of choice for American consumers," Abraham said, projecting that declining domestic production and increasing domestic use is playing into the evolving trend.
Key part of policy
Reducing dependence on foreign energy sources, in particular the volatile Middle East, has become a key part of President Bush's energy policy, a policy created in large part by Abraham.
Abraham said he hopes Congress will put the finishing touches on the energy bill by this fall, allowing his agency to move forward on several initiatives.
Abraham said there is still hope that Congress will allow additional exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Among other critical goals, Abraham said, is the development of meltdown-proof nuclear reactors, research into fusion as an energy source and the development of hydrogen fuel cars as a competitive alternative to gas-powered vehicles.