Barnett Shale Energy Education Council
When a reporter asked for my opinion about a recently released study of groundwater in the Barnett Shale area (Hildenbrand et al., University of Texas-Arlington), I was quoted as saying that, despite its title, a comprehensive analysis of groundwater quality in the Barnett Shale was not achieved in this paper. In response to that comment, one of the authors posed the rhetorical question to another reporter: “We tested over 500 water wells; what does he want, 1,000?” The authors then sent me a note asking what I considered to be comprehensive.
Read MoreThose who live in and around Dallas/Fort Worth are probably aware that there were a series of small earthquakes in Irving, Texas – a city west of Dallas and east of Fort Worth – on Jan. 6, 2015. Most of the quakes were small, and they mainly centered just east of where the old Dallas Cowboys stadium (Texas Stadium) was located in Irving (the stadium was demolished in April 2010); however, two quakes, a 3.5 and a 3.6 on the Richter scale, were definitely large enough to be felt miles away.
Read MoreIn a recent publication, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that shale gas production reached the highest level ever in 2013. Total U.S. natural gas production, or gross withdrawals, reached a new high of 82 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), with shale gas wells becoming the largest source of total natural gas production.
Read MoreA recent article from Dr. Ray Perryman of The Perryman Group in Waco, Texas, reported about unconventional oil- and natural gas-bearing formations and their benefit to the economy. Not only do they provide millions of jobs across the nation, they also provide the U.S. with a positive economic outlook for the future.
Read MoreA new economic impact study of the fiscal contributions of the Barnett Shale was released today. The study, commissioned by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and conducted by The Perryman Group (TPG) of Waco, reports that despite reduced drilling and fluctuating natural gas prices, Bartnett Shale production increased by $700 million since the last study was conducted in 2011.
Read MoreThe U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Annual Energy Outlook has U.S. total natural gas consumption growing from the current 25.6 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) to 31.6 Tcf in 2040.
Read MoreNorth Texans know a lot about tornadoes and golf ball-size hail storms, but when it comes to earthquakes, many Texans are experiencing them for the first time. Our first instinct is to ask what is causing them and what do we need to do to stop them. With oil and gas operations near the areas of the recent earthquakes near Eagle Mountain Lake, some have naturally turned to questioning whether these activities are somehow involved with oil and natural gas activities.
Read MoreA study by the University of Texas at Austin Bureau of Economic Geology estimated that drilling and hydraulic fracturing in the Barnett Shale used 8.5 billion gallons of water in a 15-county region in 2011.
Read MoreYou’ve heard plenty of talk related to fracking and alleged groundwater contamination, but what do the experts – the people in charge of regulating the oil and gas industry – say about it?
Read MoreNorth Texans know a lot about tornadoes and golf ball-size hail storms, but when it comes to earthquakes, many Texans are experiencing them for the first time. Our first instinct is to ask what is causing them and what we need to do to stop them.
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