Documents: The Debate Over the Hydrofracking Study’s Scope - Interactive Feature. Chemicals and Toxic Materials in Hydrofracking - Interactive Graphic. Natural Gas News. The Global Liquefied Natural Gas Market: Status and Outlook. Home. Terry Engelder on shale gas: The good, the bad and the decline curves. How safe are the shale gas wells that are springing up around parts of the United States?
And how well will they pay off for the increasingly large investments that are going into them? Late last month I spoke to Terry Engelder, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University and an expert in shale formations about these rather controversial aspects of shale gas, and more. As with many topics in the energy world, shale gas elicits rather polarised opinions. There are those who say it will neatly reduce emissions and solve energy security problems in one fell swoop. Others believe that some issues around pollution and yield have not yet been resolved. We felt that Engelder would provide a more nuanced view across all these issues. Here are a few excerpts; the full interview is below. On pollution: It’s very clear that the industry should make every effort to protect these [fracking] fluids getting into surface waters or ground waters. On groundwater contamination: On decline curves:
U.S. Shale Gas: Less Abundance, Higher Cost. Production Volume and Reserve Growth vs.
Profitability Entry of Major Oil Companies Into Shale Plays Evaluation of Shale Gas Well Performance Well Performance Evaluation Methodology Barnett Well Performance Fayetteville Well Performance Haynesville Well Performance Comparison to Operator Claims Matching Aggregate Production Profiles for Shale Gas Plays Economics Summary and Conclusions Appendix Production Volume and Reserve Growth vs. Profitability Analysts, government agencies, academics and media pundits commonly equate large shale gas resource levels, production and reserve growth with commercial success.
We do not dispute the impressive growth of shale gas resources, reserves or production. Some argue that price explains poor business results. Three decades of natural gas extraction from tight sandstone and coal-bed methane show that profits are marginal in low permeability reservoirs. Entry of Major Oil Companies Into Shale Plays. Gasland: A film by Josh Fox. News about Fracking or Hydraulic Fracturing, Mining, and Drilling in PA's Marcellus Shale.
Study: Frack Fluids Could Contaminate Aquifers Much Sooner Than We Thought Abrahm Lustgarten: Scientists have theorized that impermeable layers of rock would keep the fluid, which contains benzene and other dangerous chemicals, safely locked nearly a mile below water supplies.
This view of the earth’s underground geology is a cornerstone of … More after the jump Vote Count for Fracking Impact Fee Just Got Tougher Bad news for the Republicans’ “impact fee” on fracking: Joe Scarnati is Reading His Keystone Politics Looks like Joe Scarnati agrees with my read of the Marcellus Shale politics. Turzai: Republicans Don’t Care About Passing a Fracking Tax It looks like the votes aren’t there for Harrisburg Republicans to pass any kind of fracking tax.
GOP Bills Undercharge Frackers for Abandoned Wells Robert Swift says both of the Republican bills in the House and Senate would force taxpayers to pick up the tab for cleaning up abandoned fracking wells: Governor Norquist Doesn’t Like the House Impact Fee.