America has produced oil and natural gas for more than 150 years. Over those years, processes have been refined, new technologies developed and countless studies commissioned by government agencies, academic institutions, industry itself as well as non-governmental entities. So while research is ongoing and processes continue to be studied and analyzed, we would argue that research into Marcellus development and natural gas production will continue indefinitely.
As new areas of interest arise, research will be conducted. For example: in 2012, the Marcellus Shale Coalition commissioned the RAND Corporation to study the viability of using acid mine drainage water (AMD) for hydraulic fracturing. A few years ago, this wouldn’t have been an area of interest. Yet, as operators innovate and technology is developed, this new are of interest was raise and research was conducted. This is just one example of “new” research that has come to light over the past few years.
