The Sierra Club has further qualified its position on U.S. natural gas production with the following letter since Oil and Gas Investor reported last week on its support of the domestic industry. (For the full video interview and transcript, go to www.OilandGasInvestor.com; for the story, see Dear, Sierra Club, Do You Take This U.S. Natural Gas Industry? An Unexpected Union). –Nissa Darbonne, Executive Editor, Oil and Gas Investor, A&D Watch, Oil and Gas Investor This Week and OilandGasInvestor.com; ndarbonne@hartenergy.com TO: Interested Parties FR: David Willett, National Press Secretary, Sierra Club RE: False Claims of change in Sierra Club policy on Natural Gas Contrary to information circulating via press release, the Sierra Club has not changed its position on natural gas. You may have seen a press release put out by the trade publication Oil and Gas Investor claiming that the Sierra Club had changed its position on natural gas and was now endorsing the entire industry. The Oil and Gas Investor press release, especially the headline, mischaracterized comments made by Carl Pope in an interview with the publication. Everything Mr. Pope actually said in the interview was consistent with Sierra Club's existing policy. It is a complete mischaracterization to interpret Mr. Pope's interview responses as an endorsement of the entire natural gas industry, every company within the industry, and all of its practices Again, Sierra Club's official policy on natural gas production, which Mr. Pope explained in the full interview, remains unchanged--it includes opposition to new off shore and onshore drilling in environmentally inappropriate areas, or using less than the best available technology. We support using newer and better technologies for increased production from existing fields. We recognize that gas is cleaner than coal or oil but is still not as preferable as renewables and efficiency. Details on policy below. Sierra Club Policy on Natural Gas Production:Existing Natural Gas Fields: North American production of natural gas from conventional onshore sources peaked more than three decades ago. Even with the expansion of offshore drilling and unconventional sources such as coalbed methane and “tight sands,” domestic natural gas production may soon reach its peak and then decline. Despite supply and price concerns, it is still a much cleaner fuel than coal and emits less CO2 per unit of energy produced. During the transition to a clean energy future, the Sierra Club is generally not opposed to continued production from existing fields following best practices to limit environmental damage. New Onshore Natural Gas: As conventional wellfields are depleted, there is a strong push to open up sensitive areas, particularly in the mountain west, that have been restricted for natural gas production. Given the availability of substantial efficiency and renewable resources, we oppose new conventional gas fields and all coalbed methane (CBM), a very destructive method which forces gas and groundwater out of seams of associated coal. New Offshore Natural Gas: Onshore natural gas production in the US peaked in 1973. Offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico has filled the gap, though it has caused substantial damage to marine resources. The Sierra Club strongly supports the longstanding moratorium on exploration and production on the Outer Continental Shelf of the east and west coast, the coast of Alaska, and the Florida Gulf Coast. David Willett National Press Secretary Sierra Club