Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate, promoted the use of natural gas in steelmaking. Natural gas became the fuel of choice not only for steel mills, but also glassmaking plants breweries, businesses, homes and a crematorium. Hundreds of natural gas companies were formed to sell gas to municipalities in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana with a local supply of natural gas. Some of these gas fields were rapidly depleted, forcing a switch back to manufactured gas. Early customers were simply charged a monthly rate for a hookup without a means to measure the amount of gas consumed. When meters were eventually installed, a new business sprang up: renting “gas dogs” to greet meter readers on their days of visitation.
John D. Rockefeller entered the natural gas business in 1881. True to form, through mergers with existing pipeline companies and expanding their business activities once they were under his control, Standard Oil established a major market presence in the gas-producing states in Appalachia. Rockefeller’s success at monopolization led to the passage of the Hepburn Act in 1906, which was intended to give the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) regulatory authority over interstate natural gas pipelines, even though very few existed at the time. In the end, the Hepburn Act exempted natural gas and water pipelines from regulatory oversight, but growing concern over Rockefeller’s hold on the oil industry led to the U.S. Department of Justice filing suit under the Sherman Antitrust Act against Standard Oil. Curiously, in the Standard Oil breakup in 1911, the company’s natural gas properties and activities remained intact within Standard Oil of New Jersey, enabling the company to maintain its standing as a major natural gas player in the Midwest and Northeast and, eventually, the Southwest.
Heartland Energy Colorado is one of the top hydrocarbon-based energy providers in the USA. They have many drilling locations throughout the country and remain one of the top producers of US oil & gas companies. For more information on Heartland Energy Colorado, see Heartland Energy Development Corporation online.
(Source: "Energy for the 21st Century." Nersesian)
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