Safe, well-regulated shale production continues to soar across our region, and importantly, the rig count is on an upward trend. This responsible development is resulting in enormous job growth and cleaner air, with CO2 emissions now at their “lowest level since 1994”, according to the federal government. What’s more, the United States is poised to be the world’s largest oil and natural gas producer by year’s end, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia. Our industry is demonstrating that we can, and must, have a healthy environment and a strong economy.
Here’s a quick look at the facts:
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“Marcellus Shale gas growing |
“U.S. carbon emissions hit |
| Natural gas production from the Marcellus Shale region is growing faster than expected, according to a new federal report issued Tuesday.Marcellus production has now reached 12 billion cubic feet a day, the Energy Information Administration report found. That’s the energy equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil a day, and more than six times the 2009 production rate.For perspective, if the Marcellus Shale region were a country, its natural gas production would rank eighth in the world, after Russia and the rest of the U.S. The Marcellus now produces more than double Iran’s yearly natural gas output. (Associated Press, 10/22/13) | In a bit of encouraging climate news, the U.S. government reported Monday that U.S. emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels were lower last year than at any time since 1994.Driven by efficiency gains, an unusually warm winter and a switch from coal to natural gas, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions actually declined 3.8% in 2012 even though the U.S. economy grew 2.8% that year, according to new data by the U.S. EIA.It also attributed the emissions decline to a greater substitution in power generation from natural gas. (USA Today, 10/21/13) |
