How Much U.S. Shale Gas Is There, Really?

A new estimate suggests there's 80 percent less gas than previously thought. That may still be plenty.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) raised eyebrows last week when it released its latest estimate of the amount of "undiscovered technically recoverable" natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation, a rock formation that reaches through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and West Virginia. The estimated volume, around 84 trillion cubic feet (TCF), is 80 percent smaller than an estimate published earlier this year by the Energy Information Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy.

This discrepancy has added to the growing debate over just how much natural gas there is in the Marcellus Shale, possibly the largest shale gas deposit in the United States. Over the past decade, technological advances have made extracting shale gas much cheaper, and estimates of usable natural gas resources in the United States have skyrocketed. To many people, shale gas represents a crucial component to the country's energy future, since it could reduce reliance on foreign fuel, and because burning natural gas produces less carbon dioxide than burning coal.

Source: http://feeds.technologyreview.com/click.phdo?i=8eb338d6c332351e29b8f87d2afdc91e

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