TIME

 

“Why U.S. Is Running Out of Gas”

 

 

“The U.S. Is an Energy Superpower”

 
This comes at a time when Americans are heading into their first big energy squeeze since the 1970s: a shortage of natural gas, the invisible resource used to heat homes, fuel kitchen appliances, generate electricity and manufacture many of the chemicals we use. The shortage has triggered a sharp rise in prices that is likely to exact a heavy toll on low- and middle-income Americans, especially those living on fixed incomes.

The potentially chronic natural-gas shortage and its impact on the economy and employment have even Alan Greenspan worried. Talking about the many industries dependent on natural gas, the Federal Reserve chairman told the Senate Energy Committee last week that “we do see the obvious loss of jobs … because it has made us largely uncompetitive in a number of industries in which gas is a critical input.” He also saw little hope that prices would fall. “We are not apt to return to earlier periods of relative abundance and low prices anytime soon,” he said. (TIME Magazine, 7/13/03)

 A new item by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms what we’ve been reporting for a while now: the U.S. is an energy superpower. The EIA predicts that in 2013, the U.S. will be the world’s top producer of petroleum and natural gas hydrocarbons, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia.There’s no denying how astounding—and how real—America’s energy revolution has been, as the EIA indicates:

  • Since 2008, U.S. petroleum production has increased 7 quadrillion Btu, with dramatic growth in Texas and North Dakota. Natural gas production has increased by 3 quadrillion Btu over the same period, with much of this growth coming from the eastern United States.

The main drivers behind that increase…are better hydrofracking and directional drilling technologies. (TIME Magazine, 10/4/13)