[OKC] U.S. Geologists Sharply Cut Estimate of Shale Gas

[Shauna Struby]

Geologists Sharply Cut Estimate of Shale Gas


By IAN URBINA
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/u/ian_urbina/ind
ex.html?inline=nyt-per>  


Published: August 24, 2011 


- Federal geologists published new estimates this week for the amount of
natural gas
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/natural-gas/
index.html?inline=nyt-classifier>  that exists in a giant rock formation
known as the Marcellus Shale, which stretches from New York to Virginia. 

The shale formation has about 84 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered,
technically recoverable natural gas, according to the report from the United
States Geological Survey
<http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2893&from=rss_home> . This is
drastically lower than the 410 trillion cubic feet that was published
earlier this year by the federal Energy Information Administration. 

Highlights:

 

*        "Natural gas resource estimates like those produced by the federal
Geological Survey and the Energy Information Administration have been
criticized by market analysts and energy experts because they often give an
overly optimistic and simplistic view of how useful natural gas will be as a
source of fuel that can replace oil and coal
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/coal/index.h
tml?inline=nyt-classifier> . Resource estimates often include gas in pockets
that are so small or so deep that it may never be drilled or produced at any
price. The gas may also be in areas that are off limits or impractical to
drill."

 

*        "If the country is going to embrace natural gas as the fuel of the
future," said Bill Powers, the editor of the Powers Energy Investor, an
energy research publication, "there needs to be a lot more transparency in
how these estimates are calculated and a more skeptical and informed
discussion about the economics of shale gas."

 

Full article here ::: http://nyti.ms/rityPq 

 

Shauna Lawyer Struby

imagine, innovate, collaborate, transition

Co-chair, Transition OKC

Past-president, Sustainable OKC

www.goinglocalokc.org <http://www.goinglocalokc.org/> 

www.sustainableokc.org <http://www.sustainableokc.org/>  

Fresh Greens blog <http://freshgreens.typepad.com/> 

 

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