Ceilidh

Michael Zey
futurist3000@aol.com

By BOB ANEZ
.c The Associated Press

BIG SKY, Mont. (AP) - The nation's demand for natural gas continues to outstrip supply and Western states are prime sources of fuel to fill that gap, Bush administration officials told the region's governors as the three-day Western Governor's Association meeting got under way.

The administration considers the West ``center stage'' in the drive to reduce the country's dependence on foreign energy supplies, said Rebecca Watson, assistant secretary for land and minerals management in the U.S. Department of the Interior.

``The western states are critical,'' Watson said. She spoke Sunday, the conference's opening day.

Robert Card, undersecretary for the Department of Energy, said the industry appears to have an adequate supply of natural gas in storage for this winter, so long as the weather is relatively mild.

But the industry's attitude illustrates how thin the margin is, he said.

``The industry is calling for conservation and fuel switching,'' Card said. ``You know when the industry is calling for that, you have a serious problem.''

The governors also heard from Canada's western premiers, who urged their U.S. counterparts to throw their muscle behind an effort to get the federal government to lift its ban on Canadian cattle.

Closure of the border in May because of the discovery of mad-cow disease in one animal has cost the Canadian economy $10 billion, said Ralph Klein, premier of Alberta.

Corporate sponsors have paid the bulk of the $400,000 bill for the association's annual meeting.

Karen Deike, communications director for the organization, said such sponsorship has been common practice so no taxpayer money is used to finance the gathering. The association lists 93 sponsors, including about two dozen involved in the energy business, a major issue on the meeting's agenda. Deike would not provide a list of how much each paid.


 
09/15/03 10:41 EDT
   

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