Analyst sees $4 as a floor for natural gas

Natural gas prices in the U.S. will stay above $4 per thousand cubic feet for at least five years because of the cost of producing the fuel from fields in the Rocky Mountains, a Wood Mackenzie analyst said.

The region is set to become the biggest U.S. onshore source of natural gas, and its importance in setting prices is growing, said Andrew Strachan, manager of North American upstream research for Wood Mackenzie.