House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, R-La., and House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., have launched a website to keep the public informed on the progress of House Speaker Dennis Hastert's Natural Gas Task Force For Affordable Natural Gas.

The website will update visitors on task force public meetings and developments, and provide natural gas facts, informative reports and usable photos. Task force findings will be posted after the 18-member panel concludes its work on Sept. 30.

The task force is charged with identify-ing the causes of today's natural gas shortage, the effect of natural gas prices on the U.S. economy, and short- and long-term plans to encourage a stable supply of natural gas to ease prices.

In August, the DOE reported that current stocks of natural gas in underground storage are unusually low due to a combination of cold weather in parts of the country and declines in both domestic production and net imports. At the same time, demand is projected to grow 50 percent over the next 25 years, according to DOE. Visit http://energycommerce.house.gov/NaturalGasTaskForce.