Hydraulic fracturing is safe, and it boosts our economy

• Published in: The Charleston gazette (Charleston, W. Va. : 1907)
• Main Author: Lyons, Donald W
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Charleston, W.V Charleston Newspapers 02.03.2012

Hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas offers an opportunity to build a more competitive U.S. economy. Programs that result in the establishment of less expensive energy sources boost U.S. manufacturing and jobs. Combined with horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing is a technique being used to produce shale gas that now accounts for more than a third of U.S. gas production. That has led to an abundance of natural gas, which is helping manufacturing. What is known as the "shale gale" has turned a natural gas shortage into a surplus of cheap gas. Energy companies are now engaged in producing shale gas in West Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Louisiana and Arkansas. There are at least 20 untapped shale formations around the country that could turn Michigan, Colorado and other states into big gas producers. Estimates of the entire U.S. natural-gas resource base, including shale gas, are now as high as 2,500 trillion cubic feet. That amounts to more than a 100-year supply. Hydraulic fracturing - known as "fracking" - has made this possible. When combined with horizontal drilling, fracking can penetrate shale 7,000 to 9,000 feet below ground and free up natural gas that for many years had been considered beyond reach.