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2009-12-05 Science & Technology

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Posted by Fred 2009-12-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 I've been following natural gas supply & demand for years, and I've been surprised by how quickly the situation turned around. Bravo to the explorers.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2009-12-05 00:54|| 2009-12-05 00:54|| Front Page Top

#2 Wow, a new American energy source, wanna bet environmentalists are against it?

Posted by DMFD 2009-12-05 03:13|| 2009-12-05 03:13|| Front Page Top

#3 $5,500 an acre with 20 percent royalties

Is she planning to change the way she dresses?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-12-05 05:17|| 2009-12-05 05:17|| Front Page Top

#4 DFMD,
Environmentalists ARE against it! And not entirely without reason. The techniques that make shale gas extraction potentially economic involve generating lots of fractures in the rock (on purpose): if not done correctly the fractures can cause leakage of gas or salty water from one rock layer to another. Depending where that other layer goes, one could end up damaging an aquifer providing drinking water to people. Most companies do their best to avoid such incidents, and government agencies have all sorts of regulations to prevent them. They shouldn't happen, and seldom happen, but they can and do sometimes happen. Of course the energy we use that is produced elsewhere is produced with FAR less environmental and safety concern, but that's not our problem (some countries use E&S regulations as nothing more than a means for legalizing bribery.)
I'll feel a lot less annoyed with our environmentalists when I see them WALKING to Starbucks to buy a cup of locally grown dandelion tea, etc. (I'll believe the alleged problems are serious when they start ACTING like it rather than just talking about it and making other people do all the acting.)

Posted by Glenmore 2009-12-05 07:06|| 2009-12-05 07:06|| Front Page Top

#5 Oh, and the jury is still out on whether these shale gas wells will produce enough to make money - and thus to justify long-term expanded drilling. The 'best' wells clearly do, but statistics are what matters, because the capital investments are huge, the product prices erratic, and the profit margins generally slim. The first month of production may look great, but the profitability depends on how production holds up the 6th month, and the 26th month (etc.)

Posted by Glenmore 2009-12-05 07:11|| 2009-12-05 07:11|| Front Page Top

#6 Another factor is the new REX natural gas pipeline from CO to OH, and perhaps farther. This was completed a few weeks ago, and is the first pipeline from the western gas fields to the east. Before that, gas was very cheap in the mountain west, hardly worth the effort to bring out of the ground, and comparatively expensive in the east. Now regional differences have flattened out.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2009-12-05 09:39|| 2009-12-05 09:39|| Front Page Top

#7 they were closing down the gas fields in Wyoming this summer. Price to low to transport it to market.

Posted by bman">bman 2009-12-05 12:21|| 2009-12-05 12:21|| Front Page Top

#8 they had environmental issues in Wyoming as well

Posted by 746 2009-12-05 13:32|| 2009-12-05 13:32|| Front Page Top

#9 But 746, Wyoming gas wells are far from where the people who matter live, so it's not a big problem.

Posted by Glenmore 2009-12-05 13:59|| 2009-12-05 13:59|| Front Page Top

#10 But, burning natural gas produces HEAT!!!! And CO2!!!!, so it contributes to global warming! It must be stopped. We must return to those halcyon days of yesteryear (about 10000 years ago) when the climate was perfect and the seas were lower, and there were very few people!
/sarcasm

Posted by Rambler in Virginia">Rambler in Virginia 2009-12-05 14:55|| 2009-12-05 14:55|| Front Page Top

#11 Gas discovered in shale in Wyoming, Cheney's state. Coincidence? I think not. His mere presence generates fossil fuels.

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2009-12-05 15:03|| 2009-12-05 15:03|| Front Page Top

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