[thackney]

If you exclude those areas that have or had been using LNG, and possibly even including those areas, the US has probably never used more natural gas than could be domestically produced.

Not true, simple math shows this year after year. LNG imports are tracked separately from Pipeline imports. LNG imports were running about 10% of what we imported by pipeline.

U.S. Natural Gas Imports by Country
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_move_impc_s1_a.htm

[Ben Ficklin]

I'm not really talking about pipelines because the North American energy markets are highly integrated, nor was I talking about preexisting LNG terminals.

So actually I am only addressing those LNG import terminals that began as result of the 2000 shortages. And on the flip side of that are the export terminals where the gas originated. One of the delays was construction of the LNG trains in Qatar.

Your chart shows it well. After the domestic shortages, LNG imports rose sharply. That didn't have any thing to do with new terminals being built, the increase in LNG imports was thru pre-existing terminals.

So just to make sure you approve, let me reword my statement. Including the natural gas that was entering the US thru pipelines or could enter the US thru pipelines plus the LNG that was entering the US thru pre-existing LNG terminals or could enter the US thru the pre-existing LNG terminals, the US never had to supplement her supply with new terminals. It is also very possible that the increase in pipeline imports were more than adequate to cover the shortfall, that the increase in LNG thru the pre-existing terminals was not actually needed

Would you happen to know what the percentage of total NG use in the US was being fulfilled by the import pipelines and the preexisting LNG terminals?