Task Force on Ensuring Stable Natural Gas Markets

January 2011

M.J. Bradley & Associates LLC (MJB&A) provided technical and consulting support to the Task Force on Ensuring Stable Natural Gas Markets, convened jointly by the Bipartisan Policy Center and American Clean Skies Foundation. The research by MJB&A found that U.S. natural gas price volatility has been systematically higher than natural gas prices in most other markets including other non-energy commodities. Yet a twenty-year process of deregulation and market restructuring, together with robust supply and storage infrastructure, have provided market players with numerous financial and strategic hedging instruments. These instruments, combined with sensible policy to reinforce the strengths of the U.S. market, can minimize the negative economic impacts of price volatility and provide stability amidst increased reliance on natural gas.