Environmental benefits of fracking
The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced that the United States has reduced its carbon emissions by two percent from last year and over the last 14 years U.S. carbon emissions have been down by more than 10 percent. Moreover, as a nation, we鈥檝e reduced our carbon emissions more than virtually any other country in the world.
While the Obama Administration takes credit for these reductions by virtue of its policies, including its standards for heavy-duty engines and vehicles, and its energy efficiency standards, and general economy-wide measures to reduce other greenhouse gases by cutting methane emissions from landfills, coal mining, agriculture, and oil and gas systems 鈥渢hrough cost-effective voluntary actions and common-sense regulations and standards,鈥� Stephen Moore, an economic consultant at Freedom Works, opined that these carbon emission reductions are a direct result of fracking.
Moore said, 鈥淭he answer isn鈥檛 that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulated CO2 (carbon dioxide) out of the economy 鈥� The primary reason carbon emissions are falling is because of hydraulic fracturing 鈥� or fracking 鈥� Groups like the Sierra Club and their billionaire disciples have bet the farm on wind and solar power. They鈥檝e launched anti-fracking campaigns and 鈥榖eyond natural gas鈥� advertising campaigns. But wind and solar are hopelessly uncompetitive when natural gas is so plentiful and so cheap. So are electric cars.鈥�
鈥淭he media has gotten this story completely wrong too,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淟ast week, the New York Times celebrated the DOE鈥檚 emissions findings as evidence that governmental iron fist policies are working to stop global warming. For the first time 鈥渟ince the start of the industrial revolution,鈥� the Times argued, 鈥淕DP (Gross Domestic Product) growth and carbon emissions have been decoupled.鈥�
鈥淭he Times pretends that this is because of green energy, but that鈥檚 a fantasy. Wind and solar still account for only a microscopic three percent of U.S. Energy,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淪o here is the real story in a flash: thanks to fracking and horizontal drilling technologies, we are producing more natural gas than ever before. Natural gas is a wonder fuel: it is cheap. It is abundant. America has more of it than anyone else 鈥� we have several hundred years鈥� worth of natural gas. And it is clean burning. Even Nancy Pelosi inadvertently admitted this several years ago before someone had to whisper in her ear that, um, natural gas is a fossil fuel.鈥�
Personally, I agree with Moore. And in support of Moore鈥檚 position I quote an article written by Robert S. Eshelman of Climate Wire, published in Scientific American three-and-a-half years ago (Oct. 24, 2012) where he said, 鈥淣atural gas emits about half as much carbon as coal. Recent technological advances have opened up vast domestic deposits of shale gas on the East Coast, in Texas and Oklahoma, and in the Great Plains. Gas prices have plummeted, leading many energy producers to abandon coal-fired generation. State and regional carbon emissions-reduction efforts are likely to add a 2.5 percent drop by 2020.鈥�
It seems to me that the DOE report confirms Mr. Eshelman鈥檚 prediction.
But I don鈥檛 agree with Moore鈥檚 assertion that we have several hundred years鈥� worth of natural gas. That may have been true if consumption remained at the same levels five or 10 years ago. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that as of Jan. 1, 2013 there were about 2,276 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of technically recoverable resources of dry natural gas in the United States. At the rate of U.S. dry natural gas consumption in 2013 of about 27 Tcf per year, the United States has enough natural gas to last about 84 years. The truth is U.S. consumption plus exportation of natural gas will exceed 27 Tcf each year, and increase over time. So we probably have enough recoverable gas resources to last 30 to 50 years.
David Pearl is vice president of Infinity Resource Group, Inc., a professional mineral rights consulting firm, specializing in the leasing and sale of mineral rights in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. He is also managing director of a natural gas fuel dispensing patent holding company and director of a natural gas fuel island development company. Your questions are welcomed by calling 412-535-9200 or by emailing IRGOilGas@gmail.com.