Atmos Energy 2000 Annual Report Download - page 10

Our investment in technology will drive and
accommodate our future growth and, at the same
time, enable us to mantain and enhance our reputa-
tion as one of the most efficient companies in the
natural gas industry.This technology should further
serve as a platform for web-based customer
account information and service requests, which
we expect to add to our technology infrastructure
in the near future.
A Bright Future for
Natural Gas and for Atmos
The strong demand for natural gas and the
recent dramatic increases in the price of natural gas
have made headlines. We are sensitive to the impact
of higher commodity prices on our customers.
However, we believe that the unregulated price of
natural gas at the wellhead and the strong resource
base will eventually balance supply and demand.
The outlook for natural gas demand is very
bright. A recent study by Washington Policy and
Analysis, with the support of the American Gas
Foundation, forecasts that U.S. consumption of
natural gas could rise by as much as 20 percent over
the next 20 years.The study states that increased use
of natural gas could improve air quality, conserve
energy and reduce U.S. reliance on imported oil.
As for Atmos, our fundamental strengths will
drive our future growth: our ability to complete and
capitalize on acquisitions, the strong relationships we
have developed with our customers, our success
in
growing our non-utility
operations and our use of
technology to increase efficiency, lower costs and
serve more customers in each of our markets.
Letter to Shareholders continued