ARE 3440W US Should Exploit All Underground Natural Gas Resources

Underground Natural Gas Production
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Institution
Underground Natural Gas Production
At the present, America has a chance to adopt natural gas as a fuel for the next generations. The United States has leaped past Russia to become the biggest producer of natural gas as is expected to become the biggest net exporter within the next ten years. The development is linked to technological advancement in the field of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing that transformed hitherto inaccessible underground natural gas resources into production wells. Despite the apparent benefits of underground natural gas production, the US has not attained its maximum production capacity. This is mainly due to concerns about the safety of storing the gas since most of the gas deposits are found near residential areas and may therefore cause harm to those living around such areas. Despite the concerns, underground natural gas presents a big chance for the United States to advance economically. In this paper, I will be addressing the issue of underground natural gas in the United States. I will also propose a recommendation on what the United States can do to exploit all underground natural gas resources fully.
Like petroleum, natural gas is available everywhere in the world. Even though new technological innovations have helped greatly in the exploitation of natural gas reservoirs, there are still vast amounts underground. According to Pirog and Ratner the United States maker up close to 4% of the natural gas that is not yet exploited (6). While the United States may only possess a small percentage of natural gas when examined against the international reserves, there is still a lot in the country to last for six decades or more especially considering that a lot of the gas may not be discoverable with the existent technologies. In the United States, natural gas is produced in 32 states with Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Louisiana producing over half of the U.S. natural gas. For a long period, natural gas was worthless and it was discarded by burning in big flares. However, it did not take long before it was established as a useful gas resource. Currently, 24% of energy consumption in the United States is from natural gas. Over 50% of the homesteads in the country depend on natural gas as the major warming fuel. Natural gas is colorless, odorless, and shapeless and as such, gas companies add a pungent smell to alert of any gas leaks. Natural gas is also utilized as raw material for numerous common products such as paints, fertilizers, and plastics (Pirog & Ratner 8).
Over the years, there have been various technologies developed to aid in the drilling of natural gas. In most cases, the technologies used in the drilling of natural gas are equivalent to those used for petroleum. In areas where the gas is free flowing, the gas wells utilize a “Christmas Tree,” which is a range of pipes and valves on the ground to regulate the flow of gas. This type of free flow gas is slowly becoming extinct and most companies now rely on the horse head technology and hydraulic fracturing to lift the natural gas from the ground. In the past, coalbed methane that is found in all coal deposits was once viewed as a safety hazard to those mining but emerging technologies has made it a potential source of gas (Schwartz).
Despite the challenges associated with the production of underground natural gas, there is need to fully exploit all the underground natural gas resources. In 2011, the United States produced and used more natural gas than any other time in history. Due to the availability of large gas reservoirs, the country only used a very small amount of money on the gas. According to the American Gas Association, the natural gas industry supports close to 3 million jobs either directly or indirectly (Energy.gov). The real potential for financial growth is in the large deposits of shale gas that are recently accessible through hydraulic fracturing. Together with the traditional drilling, fracking has helped in freeing 3,400 trillion cubic feet of underground natural gas in North America. This gas is enough to support supply at the current rate for over one decade. Studies show that shale gas will create 2.4 million jobs by 2035. Studies also show that apart from creating jobs, the shale boom will contribute $332 billion to the US GDP by 2035 (Schwartz).
Natural gas is mostly used in the production of steel, glass, paper, clothing and electricity. The gas is also used in warming numerous single homes across the country. Like most other commodities, natural gas has b...