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Se-Econ - Natural

Natural gas, the cleanest fossil fuel, is gaining attention in the U.S. as companies explore shale rock reserves using hydraulic fracturing techniques. While this method has led to increased gas production, it raises concerns about groundwater pollution and lacks federal oversight. The current low prices due to reduced energy demand complicate the future impact of these new reserves on the energy market.

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13 views2 pages

Se-Econ - Natural

Natural gas, the cleanest fossil fuel, is gaining attention in the U.S. as companies explore shale rock reserves using hydraulic fracturing techniques. While this method has led to increased gas production, it raises concerns about groundwater pollution and lacks federal oversight. The current low prices due to reduced energy demand complicate the future impact of these new reserves on the energy market.

Uploaded by

MOSES7 WISE
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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In the US, the New Look of Gas Exploration

Many people think the search for cleaner energy leads only to renewable
resources like sun, wind and . But it also leads to a fossil fuel. Natural
gas is considered the cleanest of the fossil fuels, the fuels created by plant and
animal remains over millions of years.

Burning it releases fewer pollutants than oil or coal. The gas is mainly methane.
It produces half the carbon dioxide of other fossil fuels. So it may help cut
the of carbon gases linked to climate change.

Russia is first in what are called "proved reserves" of natural gas. The United
States is sixth. Over the years, big oil and gas companies much of
the easily reached supplies of gas in America. They drilled straight down into
formations where gas collects. As these supplies were used up, big drillers
looked for similar formations in other countries.

But now the industry is taking a new look. Companies are developing gas
supplies trapped in shale rock two to three thousand meters underground. They
drill down to the shale, then go sideways and inject high-pressure water, sand or
other material into the rock.

This causes the to break, or fracture, releasing the gas. Huge fields of
gas shale are believed to lie under the Appalachian Mountains, Michigan and the
south-central states.

Gas shale exploration is being done mainly by to medium sized


companies.

Eric Potter is a program director in the Bureau of Economic Geology at the


University of Texas at Austin.

ERIC POTTER: "The types of opportunities that are left for natural gas exploration
in the U.S. have changed. So it's a different class of resource -- not as
to develop, and not even recognized as something worth pursuing, say, twenty
years ago."

He says more than half the gas in the United States is now coming from these
new reserves.

But hydraulic fracturing can also produce debate and anger over the of
groundwater pollution. This method of drilling is not federally supervised under
the Safe Drinking Water Act. Some in Congress want to end that exemption from
the law.

Natural gas provides Americans with about one-fourth of their energy. And,
unlike oil, most of it is produced in America. Gas producers invested heavily in
reaching new supplies when were high. But prices are down sharply
In the US, the New Look of Gas Exploration

now because the recession cut demand for energy. So energy expert Eric Potter
says it is too early to know how the new gas shale reserves will affect the
.

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