Natural Gas
A Must Read: David Brooks on Shale Gas
For those who are following the debate in this country on shale gas development, as I am, today’s column by David Brooks in the New York Times is a must read. In balanced terms, Brooks summarizes the future energy and economic potential of America’s enormous shale gas endowment – and the current debate surrounding its safe and responsible production. The benefits of shale gas development in terms of economic growth, job creation and energy security are without question, as he points out. The only question is whether our political leaders will permit these benefits to be realized.
ExxonMobil’s earnings: Beyond the bottom line
ExxonMobil is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings tomorrow, and earnings day usually attracts quite a bit of media attention and political comment. While the debate often centers on the numbers that show the size and profitability of the oil and gas industry, I’ve found there’s far less focus on what such numbers mean for the U.S. economy as a whole.
Keystone State holds key to job creation: shale gas development
This morning I had the opportunity to speak at the 3rd Marcellus Shale Gas Environmental Summit in Pittsburgh, where much of the discussion centered around shale gas development and job creation. The event offered yet another reminder of an unmistakable fact that many state lawmakers have grasped but some in the U.S. Congress and the media have yet to admit: The innovative combination of hydraulic fracturing and other drilling technologies pioneered by the U.S. oil and gas industry now enables us to tap an enormous domestic energy resource in a safe and environmentally responsible way.
Shale gas potential in Europe and beyond
No doubt much of the discussion about shale gas production has been focused on the United States, especially on the positive economic benefits associated with the industry – a story just this weekend, for example, detailed how new college programs and training courses are preparing students for careers in the growing natural gas industry. But the shale gas story is increasingly global, as are the benefits.
More evidence of the “Marcellus Multiplier” effect
Right on the heels of recent misplaced criticism about how the oil and natural gas industry counts the jobs it helps support comes a report from NPR detailing the multiplier effect of the shale gas industry in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The story highlights the resurgence of the steel industry due to rising shale gas production – an example I mentioned in my blog post earlier this week. But it also delves into the jobs created because of greater investment in steel production.
Barnett Shale proves to be a jobs and revenue generator in Texas
As policymakers in Washington continue to debate ways to stimulate the economy and boost revenue, there’s a new case study that shows just what can be achieved when the energy industry is able to invest and produce American energy resources. On Tuesday, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce released an analysis of a decade of drilling in the Barnett Shale natural gas formation in 24 North Texas counties.
