MEEKER, Colo. — The news of a nationwide energy boom is almost too much for people in this town built atop a sea of oil shale and natural gas, where rusting tanks […]
The Arithmetic Of Shale Gas
There are a few societal costs to the development of shale gas. Potential contamination of groundwater, complications in treating and recycling water used in fracking. Then there’s air pollution from leaking methane […]
The U.S. Has A Natural Gas Glut; Why Exporting It As LNG Is A Good Idea
The emergence of shale gas has caused natural gas prices in North America to drop to the lowest levels seen in decades. Shale gas resources elsewhere in the world, however, have not […]
Natural Gas, by the Book
Reports from international agencies usually make for dull reading. “Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas,” from the Paris-based International Energy Agency, does not. It should be required reading for regulators […]
Buttonwood: Feeling peaky
AS THE developed-world economy tries to gain momentum, it faces a persistent headwind. The oil price remains stubbornly over $100 a barrel, acting like a tax on Western consumers. Some blame the […]
Shale shocked: USGS links ‘remarkable increase’ in earthquakes to fracking
A U.S. Geological Survey USGS team has found that a sharp jump in earthquakes in America’s heartland appears to be linked to oil and natural gas drilling operations.As hydraulic fracturing has exploded […]
China Shale Delay to Boost LNG Imports in Boon for Exxon: Energy
Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) — China’s ambitions to unlock the natural gas trapped in shale rocks are likely to take longer than planned, boosting the nation’s reliance on overseas suppliers from Exxon Mobil […]
After The Gold Rush: A Perspective on Future U.S. Natural Gas Supply and Price
On January 23, 2012, Chesapeake Energy announced that it would curtail drilling in shale gas plays in the United States. Subsequently, other operators have followed suit. While the outcome of this announcement […]
Bombshell Study: High Methane Emissions Measured Over Gas Field “May Offset Climate Benefits of Natural Gas”
How much methane leaks during the entire lifecycle of unconventional gas has emerged as a key question in the fracking debate. Natural gas is mostly methane (CH4). And methane is a far […]
[Closed] DISCUSSION: With Gas So Cheap and Well Drilling Down, Why is Gas Production so High?

Natural gas prices have declined to below $3.00/mcf, levels not seen for years, yet the EIA posted the highest gas production ever in October, 2011. U.S. gas production is growing despite annual […]