shale gas posts, articles, and infographics

Why the shale gas glut won’t last

January 31, 2012 by Michael Giberson
with 401 views

Ken Silverstein has a good article in Forbes on the business prospects for shale gas developers (and I’m glad to see him there, having followed his work for a very long time). Since he asks in the title whether low shale gas prices are a mirage, I think it’s useful to go through the underlying economic analysis that’s embedded in his... [read more]

Terry Engelder on the Federal Role in the Shale Gas Revolution

January 6, 2012 by Breakthrough Institute
with 222 views

As a part of the Breakthrough Institute's in-depth investigation of shale gas extraction and the role of the federal government in the development of many of the key enabling technologies, we interviewed Terry Engelder, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and one of Foreign Policy's 100 Global Thinkers. Dr. Engelder has authored... [read more]

Decades of Government Funding Behind Shale Revolution

December 21, 2011 by Michael Shellenberger
with 408 views

The technological revolution allowing for the cheap extraction of natural gas from shale occurred thanks to more than three decades of government subsidies for research, demonstration, and production, a new Breakthrough Institute investigation finds. Both directly and indirectly, the government was behind the critical moments and tools... [read more]

Did the Federal Government Invent the Shale Gas Boom?

December 20, 2011 by Michael Giberson
with 910 views

In the Washington Post the folks at the Breakthrough Institute try to learn us some history about the shale gas boom. Maybe you think the shale gas boom was some big surprise suddenly made real after the decades-long work of a hard-headed oil and gas guy – George Mitchell – willing to spend millions of dollars on the crazy idea that... [read more]

Fukushima Happened. Now What?

December 19, 2011 by Rod Adams
with 486 views

In the months and years to come, post-Fukushima, people who influence power plant construction decisions will be making choices that will have a large impact on future generations. In this reflective time of the year, it is important to gather the most accurate lessons learned and to offer some food for thought about the motives that... [read more]

Measuring the Shale Gas Revolution

December 8, 2011 by Mark Green
with 387 views

New quantification of the national impact of the shale natural gas revolution going on in the United States, from IHS Global Insight, one of the world's largest economic analysis and forecasting firms:Jobs - In 2010 the shale natural gas industry supported 600,000 jobs. The IHS Global Insight report projects growth to nearly 870,000 jobs... [read more]

Why Does Russia's Gazprom Oppose Shale Gas?

December 2, 2011 by Geoffrey Styles
with 462 views

I see that Russia's national gas company, Gazprom, is warning Europeans about the environmental risks of shale gas development. Aside from the hypocrisy stemming from a Russian legacy of environmental disregard that rivals the worst excesses committed anywhere, along with the likelihood of Gazprom profiting if it can deter competition... [read more]

EPA's Jackson: States Doing 'Good Job' Regulating Shale Gas Production

November 29, 2011 by Mark Green
with 161 views

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, in an interview aired Sunday by energyNOW on hydraulic fracturing regulation: "The vast majority of oil and gas production is regulated at the state level. There are issues of whether or not the federal government can add to protection and also peace of mind for citizens by looking at large issues like air pollution impacts, which can be regional. ... So it's not to say that there isn't a federal role, but you can't start to talk about a federal role without acknowledging the very strong state role." [read more]

Do LNG Exports Threaten the Shift to Gas?

November 4, 2011 by Geoffrey Styles
with 423 views

Last week US liquefied natural gas provider Cheniere signed a long-term agreement to sell BG (formerly British Gas) LNG exported from the Gulf Coast. The governor of Alaska was also recently quoted suggesting that his state's surplus natural gas might find a better market in Asia than if sent to the lower-48 via a new pipeline. Both... [read more]

The Energy Glass Is More Than Half Full

October 5, 2011 by Geoffrey Styles
with 582 views

A recent comment from a frequent reader got me thinking about the good news that has accumulated on the energy front, even as the rest of the economy has bogged down in pessimism. There's actually quite a lot of it, though perhaps it has been easy to miss, because most of these developments look like bad news from someone's perspective,... [read more]

How Small Is That Revised Marcellus Estimate?

September 2, 2011 by Geoffrey Styles
with 393 views

I see in The Hill that some critics of shale gas drilling are pointing to a revised estimate of the shale gas resources in the Marcellus formation as evidence that there's not enough gas to justify any risk from hydraulic fracturing. Earlier this week the US Geological Survey updated its previous estimate to 84 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas, a figure substantially less than the estimate of 410 TCF from the Department of Energy. Now, I'd have thought that even without doing the math on this, 84 TCF would still sound like a heck of a lot of gas, even if trillions have become the new billions in another context. [read more]

3 Studies Confirm Shale Gas Is Not Worse Than Coal

August 31, 2011 by Geoffrey Styles
with 1,381 views

For most of this year the enormous potential of shale gas has been clouded by controversy over its alleged climate impact. This began with the draft and later the leaked pre-publication version of a paper from a Cornell professor suggesting that the greenhouse gas emissions from gas were no better than those from coal and might even be... [read more]

Can the Shale Gas Revolution Be a Green One?

August 8, 2011 by Amy Myers Jaffe
with 423 views

July was a rough month for the shale gas industry. Marcellus shale wells faced permit suspensions for the withdrawal of water from nearby streams, the media issued reports that various toxic chemicals released during production were migrating to America’s water supplies, and the DEP evaluated claims that methane gas had migrated into aquifers as a result of the fracking process. [read more]

Costs and Hazards of Unconventional Natural Gas Extraction

July 29, 2011 by Rod Adams
with 484 views

I learned something new and useful while watching Energy Now’s July 24, 2011 show titled The Promise and Problems of Shale Gas. If I want to attempt to get an honest answer from natural gas industry promoters about the potential hazards of extracting natural gas from unconventional formations like coal beds and shale, I cannot ask them... [read more]

The Promise and Perils of Natural Gas

July 26, 2011 by Silvio Marcacci
with 391 views

Vast reserves of natural gas unlocked by hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” could lower energy prices and reduce emissions across the United States. In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says the U.S. now may have enough natural gas resources to power the country for 110 years at 2009 consumption levels. But is the rush to release this new domestic energy source causing environmental and health problems? energyNOW! Chief Correspondent Tyler Suiters explored all sides of Pennsylvania’s shale gas boom, speaking with concerned homeowners, doctors investigating health concerns, industry proponents, and government officials. This special episode hears from people at the center of a debate that could help decide America’s energy future. [read more]