New Natural Gas Educational Site Debuts on Internet

NATURAL GAS SUPPLY ASSOCIATION

805 15th Street N.W., Suite 510
Washington, D.C. 20005

For Immediate Release
Date: September 30, 1996

Contact:

Charlotte LeGates, Natural Gas Supply Association

202/326-9316

Kate Hutcheons, Independent Petroleum Association of America

202/857-4722

New Natural Gas Educational Site Debuts on Internet

WASHINGTON -- A new location on the Internet's World Wide Web, , shows students, consumers, and businesspeople how and why natural gas moves from underground formations into homes and factories.

The new Web page, which debuts as part of the celebration of Natural Gas Week, October 6-12, contains factual, educational information about the supply, transmission, distribution, end use, and environmental and economic benefits of natural gas. Designed by Albion College senior Phil Dietrich, who interned last summer at the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA), the site presents information at several levels--energy and geology concepts and diagrams for students, information about gas benefits and uses for the consumer, and "inside the industry" details for new employees in natural gas companies as well as consultants and securities analysts entering the industry.

While trade associations in other industries frequently include educational material in their Web sites, the site appears to be one of the largest product- and industry-specific sites currently on the Web that is designed to educate the general public without company-specific overtones.

In addition to NGSA, sponsoring organizations include the American Public Gas Association (APGA), the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), and the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA). PennWell Publications granted permission for the site developers to summarize information from Bill Berger and Kenneth Anderson's Modern Petroleum and other works. Additional material was contributed by the American Petroleum Institute (API), CH-IV Cryogenics, Consolidated Natural Gas, the Fuel Cell Commercialization Group, the Gas Processors Association, the Natural Gas Council, the Department of Energy's (DoE's) Energy Information Administration (EIA), and several universities. Reviewers include individuals from the Gas Research Institute (GRI). The site provides electronic links to sites sponsored by many of these organizations and by the National Energy Foundation and the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, which distribute energy-related curricula and information to teachers.

After Natural Gas Week, the site will remain as a permanent natural gas educational site that can grow as organizations and individuals identify and contribute material that can enhance understanding of natural gas and the gas industry. A new indexing system is on the drawing boards so that individual sections and pieces of information are easier to find, and the glossary is also scheduled for near-term enhancement. The Gas Industry Standards Board (GISB) will be contributing information on the use of standards and electronic data interchange in the industry. Additional contributions are actively encouraged.

Queries and suggestions should be sent to Charlotte LeGates at NGSA (telephone: 202/326-9316; fax: 202/326-9334; e-mail: ). Corrections should be sent to Phil Dietrich, who continues to serve as the site's Webmaster (e-mail: ). Those contributing material (other than corrections) are asked to defray the costs of preparing it for the Web and adding it to the site; a schedule of costs, which are modest, is available from NGSA. The sponsors are committed to ensuring the accuracy of all material on the site, which is also intended not to reflect the point of view of any single individual or organization about issues of public policy; the policy material on the site has been excerpted from EIA publications.

Natural Gas Week is a part of the Department of Energy's Energy Awareness Month. The complete address of the new site is:

http://www.naturalgas.org/index.htm

NOTE TO EDITORS: The site is intended in part for your use in educating new reporters about the natural gas industry. Thus, we are particularly eager to hear your comments about how the site could be more useful to you. In addition, if you have educational material that would enhance the site that you are willing to contribute on a copyright-release basis, we would be very interested in considering it for inclusion. If the material is accepted, your publication would be credited, along the lines of the credits that currently appear on the site.

This page was last updated August 31, 1997.