California’s natural gas utilities’ emissions have decreased to the point to where they are below their 1990 levels, according to an economic model. Therefore, even assuming the utilities’ greenhouse gas emissions rise slightly by 2020 under a business as usual case, they will continue to be stay below their 1990 emissions levels, according to a November 7 forecast by Energy & Environmental Economics. “Gas basically doesn’t reduce at all,” said Snuller Price, Energy & Environmental Economics partner. Price was referring to the lack of the apparent need for the state’s gas utilities to reduce their emissions because gas use is remaining level due to efficiency measures. In 2008, the state’s gas utilities are expected to emit 54 million tons. By 2020, the company forecasts that emissions will rise to 56 million tons, but still remain under the 57 million tons of emissions in 1990. The model assumed that utilities would achieve between 38 to 50 percent of potential economic efficiency measures. Under more aggressive energy policies being considered in California, gas utility emissions could dip to 54 million tons in 2020, the model indicated. Under this more aggressive policy, modelers assumed utilities would achieve between 60 and 100 percent of potential economic efficiencies. The company plans to issue updated modeling results November 16.