Unconventional Oil And Natural Gas

The United States has seen resurgence in petroleum production, mainly driven by technology improvements-especially hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling-developed for natural gas production from shale formations. Application of these technologies enabled natural gas to be economically produced from shale and other unconventional formations, and contributed to the United States becoming the world's largest natural gas producer in 2009. Use of these technologies has also contributed to the rise in U.S. oil production over the last few years. In 2009, annual oil production increased over 2008, the first annual rise since 1991, and has continued to increase each year since. Between January 2008 and May 2014, U.S. monthly crude oil production rose by 3.2 million barrels per day, with about 85% of the increase coming from shale and related tight oil formations in Texas and North Dakota. Other tight oil plays are also being developed, helping raise the prospect of energy independence, especially for North America. The rapid expansion of tight oil and shale gas extraction using high-volume hydraulic fracturing has raised concerns about its potential environmental and health impacts. These concerns include potential direct impacts to groundwater and surface water quality, water supplies, and air quality. In addition, some have raised concerns about potential long-term and indirect impacts from reliance on fossil fuels and resulting greenhouse gas emissions and influence on broader energy economics. This report focuses mainly on actions related to controlling potential direct impacts. States are the primary regulators of oil and gas production on non-federal lands. State laws and regulations governing oil and gas production have been evolving across the states in response to changes in production practices as producers have expanded into tight oil, shale gas, and other unconventional hydrocarbon formations. However, state rules vary considerably, leading to calls for more federal oversight of unconventional oil and gas extraction activities, and hydraulic fracturing specifically. Although provisions of several federal environmental laws can apply to certain activities related to oil and gas production, proposals to expand federal regulation in this area have been highly controversial. Some advocates of a larger federal role point to a wide range of differences among state regulatory regimes, and argue that a national framework is needed to ensure a consistent minimum level of protection for surface and groundwater resources, and air quality. Others argue against more federal involvement, and point to the long-established state oil and natural gas regulatory programs, regional differences in geology and water resources, and concern over regulatory redundancy. The federal role in regulating oil and gas extraction activities-and hydraulic fracturing, in particular-has been the subject of considerable debate and legislative proposals for several years, but legislation has not been enacted. While congressional debate has continued, the Administration has pursued a number of regulatory initiatives related to unconventional oil and gas development under existing statutory authorities.

Environmental and Health Issues in Unconventional Oil and Gas Development offers a series of authoritative perspectives from varied viewpoints on key issues relevant in the use of directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing, providing a timely presentation of requisite information on the implications of these technologies for those connected to unconventional oil and shale gas development. Utilizing expertise from a range of contributors in academia, non-governmental organizations, and the oil and gas industry, Environmental and Health Issues in Unconventional Oil and Gas Development is an essential resource for academics and professionals in the oil and gas, environmental, and health and safety industries as well as for policy makers. Offers a multi-disciplinary appreciation of the environmental and health issues related to unconventional oil and shale gas development Serves as a collective resource for academics and professionals in the oil and gas, environmental, health, and safety industries, as well as environmental scientists and policymakers Features a diverse and expert group of chapter authors from academia, non-governmental organizations, governmental agencies, and the oil and gas industry

This text focuses on the growth in U.S. oil and natural gas production driven primarily by tight oil formations and shale gas formations. It also reviews selected federal environmental regulatory and research initiatives related to unconventional oil and gas extraction, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed hydraulic fracturing rule.

The United States has seen resurgence in petroleum production, mainly driven by technology improvements -- especially hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling -- developed for natural gas production from shale formations. Application of these technologies enabled natural gas to be economically produced from shale and other unconventional formations, and contributed to the United States becoming the world's largest natural gas producer in 2009. This book focuses on the growth in U.S. oil and natural gas production driven primarily by tight oil formations and shale gas formations. It reviews selected federal environmental regulatory and research initiatives related to unconventional oil and gas extraction, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed hydraulic fracturing rule and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) actions. The book also provides a technological assessment of existing and emerging water procurement and management practices in shale energy producing regions of the United States.

As the shale revolution continues in North America, unconventional resource markets are emerging on every continent. In the next eight to ten years, more than 100,000 wells and one- to two-million hydraulic fracturing stages could be executed, resulting in close to one trillion dollars in industry spending. This growth has prompted professionals ex

"An excellent objective explanation of the history, science, technology, politics, environmental concerns, and economics of the shale gas boom. The author clearly has great practical experience of the science and technology of shale gas development and shows a deep understanding of the environmental and economic issues." --Andrew Stone, Executive Director, American Ground Water Trust New technology has opened vast reserves of "unconventional" natural gas and oil from shales like the Marcellus in the Appalachian Basin, making the United States essentially energy independent for the first time in decades. Shale gas had its origins in the oil embargos and energy crises of the 1970s, which led to government research to increase domestic energy supplies. The first large-scale shale gas production was successful on the Barnett Shale in Texas in the late 1990s, followed a few years later by the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. Shale gas has changed thinking about fossil energy supplies worldwide, but the development of these resources has been controversial. Activists have made claims that hydraulic fracturing may contribute to climate change, threaten groundwater resources, and pose risks to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and human health. This volume explores the geology, history, technology, and potential environmental impacts of Marcellus Shale gas resources.

Unconventional Petroleum Geology, Second Edition presents the latest research results of global conventional and unconventional petroleum exploration and production. The first part covers the basics of unconventional petroleum geology, its introduction, concept of unconventional petroleum geology, unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, and the origin and distribution of unconventional oil and gas. The second part is focused on unconventional petroleum development technologies, including a series of technologies on resource assessment, lab analysis, geophysical interpretation, and drilling and completion. The third and final section features case studies of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, including tight oil and gas, shale oil and gas, coal bed methane, heavy oil, gas hydrates, and oil and gas in volcanic and metamorphic rocks. Provides an up-to-date, systematic, and comprehensive overview of all unconventional hydrocarbons Reorganizes and updates more than half of the first edition content, including four new chapters Includes a glossary on unconventional petroleum types, including tight-sandstone oil and gas, coal-bed gas, shale gas, oil and gas in fissure-cave-type carbonate rocks, in volcanic reservoirs, and in metamorphic rocks, heavy crude oil and natural bitumen, and gas hydrates Presents new theories, new methods, new technologies, and new management methods, helping to meet the demands of technology development and production requirements in unconventional plays

"Technological improvements haveallowed the extraction of oil and naturalgas from onshore unconventionalreservoirs such as shale, tightsandstone, and coalbed methaneformations. Specifically, advances inhorizontal drilling techniques combinedwith hydraulic fracturing (pumpingwater, sand, and chemicals into wellsto fracture underground rockformations and allow oil or gas to flow)have increased domestic developmentof oil and natural gas from theseunconventional reservoirs. Theincrease in such development hasraised concerns about potentialenvironmental and public health effectsand whether existing federal and stateenvironmental and public healthrequirements are adequate.GAO was asked to reviewenvironmental and public healthrequirements for unconventional oiland gas development and (1) describefederal requirements; (2) describestate requirements; (3) describeadditional requirements that apply onfederal lands; and (4) identifychallenges, if any, that federal andstate agencies reported facing inregulating oil and gas developmentfrom unconventional reservoirs. GAOidentified and analyzed federal laws,state laws in six selected states(Colorado, North Dakota, Ohio,Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wyoming),and interviewed federal and stateofficials and representatives fromindustry, environmental, and publichealth organizations.GAO is not making recommendations"

This report focuses on the growth in U.S. oil and natural gas production driven primarily by tight oil formations and shale gas formations. It also reviews selected federal environmental regulatory and research initiatives related to unconventional oil and gas extraction, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hydraulic fracturing rule (finalized in March 2015) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) actions.