Rating the States on Their Risk of Natural Gas Overreliance

The Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed 50 U.S. states to identify those at high risk of natural gas overreliance in the power sector. The analysis uses five metrics: the share of in-state electricity production from natural gas in 2014, the increase in that share from 2008 to 2014, the share of new capacity being built from natural gas (2014–2017), total projected natural gas capacity in 2017, and 2013 power sector carbon dioxide emissions. The report highlights that excessive reliance on natural gas exposes ratepayers to fuel price volatility and the risk of 'stranded assets' from infrastructure that may become underused or abandoned. It also notes that a shift from coal to gas is insufficient for long-term climate goals due to continued significant emissions upon combustion.

• The analysis identifies financial risks for electric ratepayers stemming from natural gas price volatility, carbon pollution costs, and the potential for investments in power plants and pipelines to become "stranded assets."
• Nationally, the share of electricity generated from natural gas increased from 20.2 percent in 2008 to 26.2 percent in 2014, while coal generation decreased from 49.5 percent to 39.9 percent over the same period.
• Natural gas is expected to fuel 56 percent of the generating capacity being built in the United States between 2014 and 2017.
• The report argues that replacing coal with natural gas is not enough to meet long-term climate objectives because natural gas still produces significant emissions during combustion.
• Based on the provided data table, Florida is identified as having the highest number of "High" risk ratings across the five metrics, with a score of 5.
• The analysis is limited by the fact that states import and export electricity, meaning a state's internal generation portfolio may not fully represent the fuel mix of the electricity actually consumed by its residents.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2015). Rating the States on Their Risk of Natural Gas Overreliance. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/natural-gas-overreliance-technical-appendix.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Rating the States on Their Risk of Natural Gas Overreliance. 2015. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/natural-gas-overreliance-technical-appendix.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Rating the States on Their Risk of Natural Gas Overreliance |date=October 2015 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/natural-gas-overreliance-technical-appendix.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2015rating, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Rating the States on Their Risk of Natural Gas Overreliance}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/natural-gas-overreliance-technical-appendix.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }