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The Facts About Fracking
h/t InstapunditThe U.S. is in the midst of an energy revolution, and we don't mean solar panels or wind turbines. A new gusher of natural gas from shale has the potential to transform U.S. energy productionthat is, unless politicians, greens and the industry mess it up. Only a decade ago Texas oil engineers hit upon the idea of combining two established technologies to release natural gas trapped in shale formations. Horizontal drillingin which wells turn sideways after a certain depthopens up big new production areas. Producers then use a 60-year-old technique called hydraulic fracturingin which water, sand and chemicals are injected into the well at high pressureto loosen the shale and release gas (and increasingly, oil). The resulting boom is transforming America's energy landscape. As recently as 2000, shale gas was 1% of America's gas supplies; today it is 25%. Prior to the shale breakthrough, U.S. natural gas reserves were in decline, prices exceeded $15 per million British thermal units, and investors were building ports to import liquid natural gas. Today, proven reserves are the highest since 1971, prices have fallen close to $4 and ports are being retrofitted for LNG exports. ...All of this growth has inevitably attracted critics, notably environmentalists and their allies. They've launched a media and political assault on hydraulic fracturing, and their claims are raising public anxiety. So it's a useful moment to separate truth from fiction in the main allegations against the shale revolution. IM0, this is a bit more important for stopping Jihad than staying in Iraq/Afghanistan---pretending that the locals becoming civilized Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-06-25 |
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