natural gas.. the good, the bad, the ugly.

[DCBob]

from CNBC..

"The U.S. is the largest natural gas producer in the world. We now have one of the largest supplies in the world," said Hersh. "We're the third largest oil producer. We're the largest coal supplier. We're not a resource poor country."

-snip

Fracking, or the use of highly pressurized water, sand and chemicals to break apart rock, releasing the gas inside, has resulted in a surge in natural gas supply. Some estimates put that supply at 100 years worth, while just a few years ago, the U.S. was on the road to becoming a major importer of liquefied natural gas from the Middle East.

"There are always two sides to a coin," Birol said in an email. "While the process of hydraulic fracturing has been around for decades, the rapid increase in the number of wells in the United States and the large number of companies who drill them has been accompanied by growing concerns about the environmental effects of the exploitation of unconventional resources. Land use, water scarcity, pollution of water supplies and greenhouse gas emissions are increasingly being scrutinized."

-snip-

"Industry practices are much more uniform than people think," Hersh said. "I think the fracking issue will end up being resolved in more oversight and more reporting, which will just add a layer of cost. It's too important an industry...and it has too many jobs associated with too much economic benefit, that it won't be killed."

http://www.cnbc.com/id/46606934

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This is a good article discussing the issues, pro and con of natural gas although its written more from an investors point of view. IMO, if the problems associated with fracking such as methane gas emissions and ground water contamination can be minimized though increased controls and oversight then we should fast track further development of this abundant resource for fueling vehicles, power plants, heating etc. This could the best, perhaps only, short term alternative to oil.

[KamaAina]

1. Read Barry Commoner's "The Politics of Energy"

he touts natural gas as the bridge fuel to a sustainable energy economy based on methane (the main ingredient in gas) derived from biomass.

[DCBob]

2. Biomass is great and no doubt part of the solution but..

short-term we cannot produce enough to have much of an impact on significantly reducing oil consumption. Use of natural gas on the other could be ramped up fairly quickly and could replace a large percentage of the oil consumed in this country.

[KamaAina]

3. That was his point

to switch from oil and coal to natural gas until we could produce enough gas from biomass, delivered over the same pipeline infrastructure, to replace it.

[DCBob]

4. Ok got it. Thanks for the clarification.

I agree with that entirely. I will try to find his book.

Cheers.