US gas industry seeks attention as Perry aims to aid coal on the grid

Washington

AS US Energy Secretary Rick Perry considers whether the United States should do more to keep coal and nuclear power plants online, natural gas producers are trying to ensure they aren't left in the dark.

Lobbyists for the natural gas industry are telling the Trump administration their fuel is just as reliable as coal or nuclear, and that gas-fuelled plants have the added advantage of being able to ramp up quickly to respond to price spikes or a drop in wind speeds. The lobbying push illustrates how fulfilling President Donald Trump's pledge to save coal has downsides for other fossil fuel interests, including those closely allied with the president.

"We're not taking shots at coal and nuclear" but it's important to "tell the whole story", said Marty Durbin, executive vice-president and chief strategy officer at the American Petroleum Institute (API). "We want to make sure if they go down this road, they understand" that reliability is about m…