Geologists Sharply Cut Estimate of Shale Gas

[n2doc]

By IAN URBINA
Published: August 24, 2011

WASHINGTON — Federal geologists published new estimates this week for the amount of natural gas that exists in a giant rock formation known as the Marcellus Shale, which stretches from New York to Virginia.

The shale formation has about 84 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas, according to the report from the United States Geological Survey. This is drastically lower than the 410 trillion cubic feet that was published earlier this year by the federal Energy Information Administration.

As a result, the Energy Information Administration, which is responsible for quantifying oil and gas supplies, has said it will slash its official estimate for the Marcellus Shale by nearly 80 percent, a move that is likely to generate new questions about how the agency calculates its estimates and why it was so far off in its projections.

The decision by the agency to lower the estimates comes amid growing scrutiny from Congress about how the administration calculates its numbers and why it depends on outside and industry-tied consultants to produce some of its reports.

more

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/25/us/25gas.html

[MADem]

1. They need to get away from industry-based numbers. Even if we have to pay our own civil servants,

we're better off in the long run.

Natural gas burns nice-n-clean, but it loses its appeal when the groundwater gets contaminated as a consequence of the extraction process....

[rosesaylavee]

2. Good info to use when calling the Gov re this...

see also http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1808659 for call to action and phone numbers on NY state and the dangerously ridiculous pipeline project.

[Cirque du So-What]

3. Well, that was quick...

Study: Yield from shale understated
Government report reveals increased natural gas production expectations
August 24, 2011
By MATTHEW STEFFY , Tribune Chronicle | TribToday.com

A recent U.S. Geological Survey study determined that the Marcellus shale contains about 84 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas and 3.4 billion barrels of recoverable natural gas liquids, much more than initial estimates indicated.

Before this study released Tuesday, USGS Marcellus shale estimates compiled in 2002 projected about 2 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas to exist in the region. The new study indicates a more than 4,000 percent increase in anticipated production.

"The increase in technically recoverable resource is due to new geological information and engineering data," the study states. "As technological developments in producing unconventional resources have been significant in the last decade."

The study was conducted in parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/560815.html

I believe we're in the midst of a propaganda war - one that is waged at those of us unfortunate enough to have natural gas deposits underfoot.

[rosesaylavee]

5. interesting about that site...

no info about who their owners are there and staff contact page is empty online.

to contact writer of that article - here's the email: [e-mail]

[rosesaylavee]

7. domain ownership info for tribtoday.com

Domain Name: TRIBTODAY.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: FERRARI.FORTWAYNE.COM
Name Server: JORDAN.FORTWAYNE.COM
Name Server: NS.WVWEB.NET
Name Server: QUATRO.OWEB.COM
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Updated Date: 11-feb-2008
Creation Date: 08-feb-2008
Expiration Date: 08-feb-2013

Edit to add this interesting tidbit... NONE of those domains listed as servers above are active. No one apparently owns this domain. Hmmmm. Am I right in thinking this is odd?

[rosesaylavee]

9. I reread this again this evening now that I am not working...

And the two articles are basically stating the same thing from the same USGS report... the takeaway now is that the '80% less gas' reported earlier this year in a report by the Dept of Energy's 'Energy Information' is a group that employs industry consultants(read gas and oil corporate interests) along with academics to write these reports.

I miss the days when the press would do the analysis and I could basically trust it. The NYT gets points tho for a fuller picture with historical background re the Energy Info group.

I'm going to continue to read but thought I needed to set my own response back on track here first.

[Cirque du So-What]

10. It was an eye-opener for me

and I'm already cynical where the mainstream media are concerned. You're right, though; they're basically stenographers for whatever hooey that powerful interests feed them.

[rosesaylavee]

11. At least the Dept of Energy has

something left in them that feels they need to explain why industry insiders are working with them in their assessments.

I am reminded of Bill Murray's line in Caddy Shack... at least we got that going for us.

[DURHAM D]

4. Oh, the Great Shale Sham.

One of the reasons an oil/gas company makes these claims is so they can borrow money based on the so-called "reserves". The higher the estimates the more money they can borrow. When the yet to be found and put into production oil and gas turns out not to be down there the oil companies and lenders go belly up - taking everyone with them.

We have been here before. Who will bail them out this time?

We already know the answer.

[yellowcanine]

6. That is still a lot of gas and will be more than enough to keep the NE gas boom going for years to

come. The battle to protect the environment from the frackers is far from over.

[enough]

8. k&r (nt)