Eleven Eastern governors are expected to approve a blueprint for slashing carbon dioxide emissions from cars -- and perhaps home furnaces -- before January, according to state officials, potentially sparking a widespread shift to residential heaters that burn wood pellets.
Officials in states from Maine to Maryland are preparing the outlines of a regional plan that would limit the amount of greenhouse gases a unit of fuel, like a gallon of gasoline, could emit. That's meant to prompt oil companies, refiners and motorists to use cleaner fuels made from trash and plants and renewable electricity.
Emission reduction targets are not yet established, but officials are basing preliminary calculations on a goal of cutting carbon 10 percent by 2020. That's identical to California's pioneering low-carbon fuel standard.
The Eastern program could be strikingly different in one way: More than 1 million homes in the region are heated with oil, more than anywhere else in the country. It could be a controversial task to regulate the fuel that keeps New Englanders warm during long winters.
But the alternative is just as troubling: Oil-burning furnaces consume more fossil fuel there than diesel-driven trucks. If heating emissions are not reduced, they could undermine the clean fuel standard -- and perhaps make the states unable to meet their existing global warming goals.
"A critical decision will be whether to limit the program just to transportation fuels or whether to also include heating fuel," said Michelle Manion of Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, a nonprofit research group involved in designing the plan.
'Difficult' to cut emissions without addressing heat
In Massachusetts alone, about 963,000 homes -- almost half -- rely on oil heat. They consume 2 billion gallons of carbon-rich fuel every year, accounting for almost 20 percent of the nation's heating oil. New England burns 4.6 billion gallons of the stuff annually. That amounts to almost 15 percent of the region's petroleum use.
So there's concern that if heating oil is not included in the fuel standard, the 11 states might not be able to meet their individual emission reduction targets. All of them have promised to cut carbon.
"We are looking at whether we would be able to meet our goals without including home heating oil," said Rebecca Ohler, a supervisor with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and a participant in the plan's design. "I do think it would be difficult."
Another contributor, Ellen Pierce, an analyst with Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection, said heating oil is "a significant contributor to air emissions."
"It's something we should look at," she added.
Limiting emissions from transportation fuel is already daunting. Adding furnace fuel vastly increases the complexity of whom to regulate and how. Scores of additional businesses would fall under the watch of state regulators, probably prompting stronger opposition when state legislatures begin considering the plan for approval.
Politicians could become squeamish if the fuel standard is perceived to hike home heating bills during Northern winters.
'Cheaper' heat could mean widespread upgrades
But that may not be the case, said Nancy Seidman, deputy assistant commissioner for climate strategies with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
"If folks switch to wood or a different fuel, then in some cases, it may be cheaper or more efficient," she said.
The report emphasizes the states' home-grown opportunities. Wood pellets could be culled from the forests and manufacturing sites of Pennsylvania, New York and other states, reducing lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with extracting, refining and transporting oil around the world.
But that raises an infrastructure question. Thousands of homes might have to replace oil furnaces with wood-burning heaters. Other options exist, like using renewable electricity to heat homes, switching to natural gas or running oil furnaces on cleaner mixes of biofuels.
"The use of woody biomass and electricity as substitutes, combined with increased natural gas use for space heating, provides near-term low carbon fuel options for the Northeast," according to a 233-page analysis released last month by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management.
That assertion could cause waves. Energy is expensive in New England, and residents could find new costs associated with replacing furnaces unappetizing. State officials are just beginning to model the economic effects of the plan.
Oil sands could cause havoc
The Energy Consumers Alliance of New England supports state initiatives aimed at replacing heating oil with low-sulfur diesel, a cleaner fuel. But the program's main thrust is to reduce the cost of oil by pooling the buying power of 17,000 households. That's not exactly an incentive to produce less emissions.
"The green they're interested in saving is their own," said Phil Lindsay, who runs the group's oil program.
The plan could be up and running in two years, said coordinator Manion. The governors from all 11 states -- including big polluter Pennsylvania -- are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding this year that establishes the broad strokes. Each state would then have to approve the program through legislation or executive order.
If emissions were reduced 10 percent by 2020, that would prevent 30 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere every year. That's without cleaning up home heating systems. Even so, it's still a bigger impact than that of the nation's first regional cap-and-trade program, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is reducing emissions from 233 East Coast power plants.
If home heating is not regulated, it could spur an influx of high-carbon petroleum from Canada's controversial oil sands, analysts warn. Refiners could direct Canadian bitumen into residential oil tanks, even as that emission-heavy fuel is being blocked from entering cars by the low-carbon fuel standard.
That could undermine emission targets, and the "carbon intensity of the region's fuel supply could rise significantly," according to the states' official analysis. Currently, about half a percent of the region's home heating supply comes from Canadian oil sands.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Study Finds Big Storms on a 1,000-Year Rise
The North Atlantic Ocean has spawned more hurricanes and tropical storms over the last decade than it has since a similarly stormy period 1,000 years ago, according to a new study.
The research, published yesterday in the journal Nature, tries to trace the pattern of storms along North America's Atlantic and Gulf coasts back to A.D. 500, well before humans were recording weather observations.
The study's lead author, climate scientist Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University, said finding a reliable way to reconstruct centuries of past hurricane activity could help scientists tease out whether future climate change will alter storm patterns.
"One of the driving motivations for this research is to place in a longer-term context ... Atlantic tropical cyclone behavior, and the extent to which it may be anomalous," he said.
That meant trying to divine information about the past beyond historical records collected by ships and observers on shore, and later by storm-tracking aircraft and satellites.
The scientists relied on two different methods to reconstruct the past -- a foray into the emerging field of "paleotempestology," or the study of ancient storms.
First, they examined layers of sediment collected from coastal ponds and salt marshes that tend to flood when hurricanes make landfall nearby. Each flood deposits a layer of coarse barrier beach sand on the muddy pond floor, creating a record scientists can examine by collecting sediment cores. For the new study, Mann and his co-authors at the University of Massachusetts and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution collected cores at eight sites along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, ranging from southern Massachusetts to Vieques Island, Puerto Rico.
The researchers also used a computer model to simulate 1,500 years of Atlantic storms, feeding in information collected between 1851 and 2006 about factors known to influence hurricane activity, including sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, the occurrence of El Niño weather patterns, and fluctuations in the jet stream.
The two methods produced similar overall results, Mann said, such as showing a major peak in storm activity about 1,000 years ago.
But 'paleotempestology' doesn't end the debate
Taken together, he said, they suggest that warmer temperatures produce more storm activity -- meaning that coming climate change could increase the frequency of hurricane activity.
"The paleoclimate evidence seems to reinforce the notion that, all other things being equal, when you have warm sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic, you see more activity," he said.
But Mann said there's also a possibility that climate change could alter the frequency of El Niño, which blunts hurricane activity, and counteract the effects of future ocean warming.
"Current state-of-the-art climate model projections are more or less split between whether there will be more El Niño conditions or more La Niña-like conditions," he said.
"The jury is still out. But this study is an independent data point from the paleo record that gives more weight to the proposition that warming the tropical Atlantic will continue to give us a higher level of hurricane and tropical cyclone activity."
Kerry Emanuel, a climatologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has published studies linking climate change to stronger hurricanes, called the new research "an impressive piece of work, melding two completely independent approaches to estimating past hurricane activity."
Emanuel said the Nature study "shows that hurricane activity is indeed quite sensitive to climate, and although we are still not completely sure about global warming effects, the paper raises again the flag that potentially they could be large."
But James Elsner, a climate scientist at Florida State University, said the "rather large levels of uncertainty" in the new study's results gave him pause.
"I don't see it as settling the debate on climate change and hurricane activity," said Elsner, who helped develop the statistical methods employed in the new study. "I think it does provide evidence that warmth is important."
At the same time, he explained, "the lack of a real tight physical theory between ocean warmth and frequency indicates this is not the smoking gun that would allow us to confidently project what might happen as oceans warm in the future."
The research, published yesterday in the journal Nature, tries to trace the pattern of storms along North America's Atlantic and Gulf coasts back to A.D. 500, well before humans were recording weather observations.
The study's lead author, climate scientist Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University, said finding a reliable way to reconstruct centuries of past hurricane activity could help scientists tease out whether future climate change will alter storm patterns.
"One of the driving motivations for this research is to place in a longer-term context ... Atlantic tropical cyclone behavior, and the extent to which it may be anomalous," he said.
That meant trying to divine information about the past beyond historical records collected by ships and observers on shore, and later by storm-tracking aircraft and satellites.
The scientists relied on two different methods to reconstruct the past -- a foray into the emerging field of "paleotempestology," or the study of ancient storms.
First, they examined layers of sediment collected from coastal ponds and salt marshes that tend to flood when hurricanes make landfall nearby. Each flood deposits a layer of coarse barrier beach sand on the muddy pond floor, creating a record scientists can examine by collecting sediment cores. For the new study, Mann and his co-authors at the University of Massachusetts and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution collected cores at eight sites along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, ranging from southern Massachusetts to Vieques Island, Puerto Rico.
The researchers also used a computer model to simulate 1,500 years of Atlantic storms, feeding in information collected between 1851 and 2006 about factors known to influence hurricane activity, including sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, the occurrence of El Niño weather patterns, and fluctuations in the jet stream.
The two methods produced similar overall results, Mann said, such as showing a major peak in storm activity about 1,000 years ago.
But 'paleotempestology' doesn't end the debate
Taken together, he said, they suggest that warmer temperatures produce more storm activity -- meaning that coming climate change could increase the frequency of hurricane activity.
"The paleoclimate evidence seems to reinforce the notion that, all other things being equal, when you have warm sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic, you see more activity," he said.
But Mann said there's also a possibility that climate change could alter the frequency of El Niño, which blunts hurricane activity, and counteract the effects of future ocean warming.
"Current state-of-the-art climate model projections are more or less split between whether there will be more El Niño conditions or more La Niña-like conditions," he said.
"The jury is still out. But this study is an independent data point from the paleo record that gives more weight to the proposition that warming the tropical Atlantic will continue to give us a higher level of hurricane and tropical cyclone activity."
Kerry Emanuel, a climatologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has published studies linking climate change to stronger hurricanes, called the new research "an impressive piece of work, melding two completely independent approaches to estimating past hurricane activity."
Emanuel said the Nature study "shows that hurricane activity is indeed quite sensitive to climate, and although we are still not completely sure about global warming effects, the paper raises again the flag that potentially they could be large."
But James Elsner, a climate scientist at Florida State University, said the "rather large levels of uncertainty" in the new study's results gave him pause.
"I don't see it as settling the debate on climate change and hurricane activity," said Elsner, who helped develop the statistical methods employed in the new study. "I think it does provide evidence that warmth is important."
At the same time, he explained, "the lack of a real tight physical theory between ocean warmth and frequency indicates this is not the smoking gun that would allow us to confidently project what might happen as oceans warm in the future."
India's water use 'unsustainable'
Much of the water used in paddy fields is pumped from underground
Parts of India are on track for severe water shortages, according to results from Nasa's gravity satellites.
The Grace mission discovered that in the country's north-west - including Delhi - the water table is falling by about 4cm (1.6 inches) per year.
Writing in the journal Nature, they say rainfall has not changed, and water use is too high, mainly for farming.
The finding is published two days after an Indian government report warning of a potential water crisis.
That report noted that access to water was one of the main factors governing the pace of development in the world's second most populous nation.
About a quarter of India is experiencing drought conditions, as the monsoon rains have been weaker and later than usual.
But weather and climatic factors are not responsible for water depletion in the northwestern states of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, according to the Nasa study.
"We looked at the rainfall record and during this decade, it's relatively steady - there have been some up and down years but generally there's no drought situation, there's no major trend in rainfall," said Matt Rodell, a hydrologist at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington DC.
"So naturally we would expect the groundwater level to stay where it is unless there is an excessive stress due to people pumping too much water, which is what we believe is happening."
State of Grace
The Grace (Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment) mission uses two satellites flying along the same orbit, one just in front of the other.
Minute differences in the Earth's gravitational pull cause the two craft to shift slightly in their positions relative to one another.
The Grace satellites provide a twin eye on Earth gravity
Grace twins measure 'potato' Earth
The mission can measure groundwater depletion because the amount of water in aquifers has a small gravitational attraction for the satellites.
Three years ago, Grace scientists noted a loss of water in parts of Africa - but the Indian result is more striking.
"Over the six-year timeframe of this study, about 109 cubic kilometres of water were depleted from this region - more than double the capacity of India's largest reservoir is gone between 2002 and 2008," Dr Rodell told the BBC.
The northwest of India is heavily irrigated; and the Indian government's State of the Environment report, published on Tuesday, noted that irrigation increased rice yields seven-fold in some regions compared to rain-fed fields.
Dr Raj Gupta, a scientist working for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), said that the current drought would lead to more groundwater extraction.
"Farmers receive no rains so they are pumping a lot more water than the government expected, so the water table will fall further," he said.
"The farmers have to irrigate, and that's why they're pumping more water, mining more water. The situation has to stop today or tomorrow."
Dr Gupta noted that some farmers might be able to switch from rice to crops that demand less water, such as maize or sorghum.
But, he said, that would depend on government policies - which have traditionally promoted rice - and on market demand.
Climate change is likely to be a constraint too, with the area of South Asia suitable for wheat forecast to halve over the next 50 years.
Parts of India are on track for severe water shortages, according to results from Nasa's gravity satellites.
The Grace mission discovered that in the country's north-west - including Delhi - the water table is falling by about 4cm (1.6 inches) per year.
Writing in the journal Nature, they say rainfall has not changed, and water use is too high, mainly for farming.
The finding is published two days after an Indian government report warning of a potential water crisis.
That report noted that access to water was one of the main factors governing the pace of development in the world's second most populous nation.
About a quarter of India is experiencing drought conditions, as the monsoon rains have been weaker and later than usual.
But weather and climatic factors are not responsible for water depletion in the northwestern states of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, according to the Nasa study.
"We looked at the rainfall record and during this decade, it's relatively steady - there have been some up and down years but generally there's no drought situation, there's no major trend in rainfall," said Matt Rodell, a hydrologist at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington DC.
"So naturally we would expect the groundwater level to stay where it is unless there is an excessive stress due to people pumping too much water, which is what we believe is happening."
State of Grace
The Grace (Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment) mission uses two satellites flying along the same orbit, one just in front of the other.
Minute differences in the Earth's gravitational pull cause the two craft to shift slightly in their positions relative to one another.
The Grace satellites provide a twin eye on Earth gravity
Grace twins measure 'potato' Earth
The mission can measure groundwater depletion because the amount of water in aquifers has a small gravitational attraction for the satellites.
Three years ago, Grace scientists noted a loss of water in parts of Africa - but the Indian result is more striking.
"Over the six-year timeframe of this study, about 109 cubic kilometres of water were depleted from this region - more than double the capacity of India's largest reservoir is gone between 2002 and 2008," Dr Rodell told the BBC.
The northwest of India is heavily irrigated; and the Indian government's State of the Environment report, published on Tuesday, noted that irrigation increased rice yields seven-fold in some regions compared to rain-fed fields.
Dr Raj Gupta, a scientist working for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), said that the current drought would lead to more groundwater extraction.
"Farmers receive no rains so they are pumping a lot more water than the government expected, so the water table will fall further," he said.
"The farmers have to irrigate, and that's why they're pumping more water, mining more water. The situation has to stop today or tomorrow."
Dr Gupta noted that some farmers might be able to switch from rice to crops that demand less water, such as maize or sorghum.
But, he said, that would depend on government policies - which have traditionally promoted rice - and on market demand.
Climate change is likely to be a constraint too, with the area of South Asia suitable for wheat forecast to halve over the next 50 years.
Five Health Tips to Avoid Swine Flu
Swine flu" or the "H1N1" flu virus (a more technical name for the same virus) is a public health emergency that the U.S. government is keeping a close watch on so that people are aware, informed and prepared to take action steps to keep themselves and their families healthy and safe.
Take time to review the CDC's five, flu-safety tips, which will help you avoid swine flu (or any flu). They'll also help to ensure that the virus doesn't spread needlessly.
- Tip #1: Stay home if you're sick.
- Tip #2: Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Tip #3: Wash your hands often and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Tip #4: Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
- Tip #5: Keep up with health information in your own community.
Do these tips sound familiar? Flu-safety basics are the exact same whether you get the human flu or the swine flu. The swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that cause regular outbreaks in pigs. People don’t usually get swine flu but infections can and do occur.
This virus spreads the exact same way that regular flu viruses spread -- person-to-person transmission through coughing, sneezing and touching of infected people or surfaces: door knobs, shopping carts, countertops, etc. So, it’s also a good idea to carry your alcohol-based, disinfecting wipes, sprays and gels with you, as well.
There is some good news: First, there are antiviral medicines to prevent and treat swine flu. They may also prevent serious flu complications. Second, swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. So, you don’t need to throw away or stop eating your pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is still safe.
Now, if you live in areas where swine influenza have been identified (there are 48 affected states), contact a health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Swine flu symptoms include: fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.
By practicing these flu-safety basics, you’ll lower your chances of getting a host of illnesses, including the swine flu.
Five Health Tips to Avoid Swine Flu
Swine flu" or the "H1N1" flu virus (a more technical name for the same virus) is a public health emergency that the U.S. government is keeping a close watch on so that people are aware, informed and prepared to take action steps to keep themselves and their families healthy and safe.
Take time to review the CDC's five, flu-safety tips, which will help you avoid swine flu (or any flu). They'll also help to ensure that the virus doesn't spread needlessly.
- Tip #1: Stay home if you're sick.
- Tip #2: Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Tip #3: Wash your hands often and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Tip #4: Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
- Tip #5: Keep up with health information in your own community.
Do these tips sound familiar? Flu-safety basics are the exact same whether you get the human flu or the swine flu. The swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that cause regular outbreaks in pigs. People don’t usually get swine flu but infections can and do occur.
This virus spreads the exact same way that regular flu viruses spread -- person-to-person transmission through coughing, sneezing and touching of infected people or surfaces: door knobs, shopping carts, countertops, etc. So, it’s also a good idea to carry your alcohol-based, disinfecting wipes, sprays and gels with you, as well.
There is some good news: First, there are antiviral medicines to prevent and treat swine flu. They may also prevent serious flu complications. Second, swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. So, you don’t need to throw away or stop eating your pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is still safe.
Now, if you live in areas where swine influenza have been identified (there are 48 affected states), contact a health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Swine flu symptoms include: fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.
By practicing these flu-safety basics, you’ll lower your chances of getting a host of illnesses, including the swine flu.
Swine Flu More Condition_Symptoms
The symptoms are similar to those experienced by people infected by other flu strains. In the past, pneumonia and respiratory failure and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause chronic medical conditions to worsen.
How can you tell if you might have swine flu and should see a doctor? Here’s a checklist of symptoms linked to the disease, which is suspected of killing more than 150 people in Mexico and sickening hundreds more around theTo avoid confusion with other respiratory illnesses, Santa Clara County’s public health department released these specific conditions to be considered for swine-flu testing.
- Symptoms must include a fever above 100°F or 37.8°C and one or more signs or symptoms including: head and body aches, cough, sore throat, chills, trouble breathing, and vomiting and/or diarrhea.
- People who experience a fever of 100°F and one or more symptoms should call their doctor or clinic. Plan to provide the following information: types of symptoms you are experiencing; recent travel to Mexico; contact with someone who may have influenza.The incubation period for swine flu, as with other strains of influenza, is two to seven days, according to public health officials.
- The Santa Clara County Public Health Information Line (PHIL) will be staffed to answer public questions about the swine flu. Call 408-885-3980.
- For more information about swine flu, visit www.cdc.gov/swineflu or www.sccgov.org and click on “Swine Flu Update” under Hot Items.
globe:
Go Green, Win Some Green
Laclede Gas customers who have considered going green by receiving their bills electronically now have a new motivation to make the switch: a chance at $1,000 cash.
All customers enrolled in Laclede’s e-bill service as of September 30, 2009 will automatically be entered into a drawing for a cash prize and a donation to the “green” charity of their choice. In October, two accounts will be randomly selected from the e-bill subscriber list. The first account holder selected will win $1,000 cash, and Laclede will make a $100 donation to his/her favorite “green” charity. The second account holder selected will win $100 cash, and Laclede will make a $50 donation to his/her “green” charity of choice. Details and official rules are available at lacledegas.com.
E-bill allows customers to receive and pay their monthly statement electronically, thereby reducing the number of paper bills Laclede prints and mails. Each year, the amount of paper Laclede uses in its monthly billing process is the environmental equivalent of powering an average American household for 26 days or nine trees that supply enough oxygen for five people for one year. As an added benefit to customers, e-bill is a faster, easier and more convenient way for customers to receive and pay their gas bill. With e-bill, there are no more paper bills to archive or shred.
Customer Connection is Laclede’s online account management tool that allows customers to monitor their natural gas usage and understand the variables that are driving that usage. Monthly billing statements are archived for viewing and comparison over a 13-month period. Customers can also determine their Budget Billing amount and enroll in the program, thereby enjoying a consistent charge each month. In addition, customers may help those in need by enrolling in Dollar-Help. Current and previous year contributions Dollar-Help are tracked for reference. Later this summer, Laclede will introduce enhancements to Customer Connection that will enable customers to research usage in relation to the outside temperature; view scheduled service requests; and request natural gas service be turned off.
A subsidiary of The Laclede Group (NYSE: LG), Laclede Gas Company has provided safe and reliable service to the residents of the St. Louis metropolitan area for more than 150 years. It is the largest gas distribution company in Missouri, serving more than 630,000 natural gas customers in St. Louis and surrounding counties in Eastern Missouri.
All customers enrolled in Laclede’s e-bill service as of September 30, 2009 will automatically be entered into a drawing for a cash prize and a donation to the “green” charity of their choice. In October, two accounts will be randomly selected from the e-bill subscriber list. The first account holder selected will win $1,000 cash, and Laclede will make a $100 donation to his/her favorite “green” charity. The second account holder selected will win $100 cash, and Laclede will make a $50 donation to his/her “green” charity of choice. Details and official rules are available at lacledegas.com.
E-bill allows customers to receive and pay their monthly statement electronically, thereby reducing the number of paper bills Laclede prints and mails. Each year, the amount of paper Laclede uses in its monthly billing process is the environmental equivalent of powering an average American household for 26 days or nine trees that supply enough oxygen for five people for one year. As an added benefit to customers, e-bill is a faster, easier and more convenient way for customers to receive and pay their gas bill. With e-bill, there are no more paper bills to archive or shred.
Customer Connection is Laclede’s online account management tool that allows customers to monitor their natural gas usage and understand the variables that are driving that usage. Monthly billing statements are archived for viewing and comparison over a 13-month period. Customers can also determine their Budget Billing amount and enroll in the program, thereby enjoying a consistent charge each month. In addition, customers may help those in need by enrolling in Dollar-Help. Current and previous year contributions Dollar-Help are tracked for reference. Later this summer, Laclede will introduce enhancements to Customer Connection that will enable customers to research usage in relation to the outside temperature; view scheduled service requests; and request natural gas service be turned off.
A subsidiary of The Laclede Group (NYSE: LG), Laclede Gas Company has provided safe and reliable service to the residents of the St. Louis metropolitan area for more than 150 years. It is the largest gas distribution company in Missouri, serving more than 630,000 natural gas customers in St. Louis and surrounding counties in Eastern Missouri.
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