In an article on the Journal of American Enterprise Institute website, Max Schultz, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute argues that new methods for producing natural gas (horizontal fracking) and new methods to distribute the gas (LNG) are going to transform the use of energy worldwide.

Just a few years ago Russia invested heavily in the Shtokman gas field in the Barents Sea with the intent of exporting that gas as LNG to the United States. Now the US has several giant shale gas fields and the Russians have all of that Shtokman gas plus opportunities to develop their own shales. More at the United Press International website.

Exxon’s intention to buy XTO, a leading producer of natural gas from shale, could provide inertia that will move natural gas into the position of a bridge towards renewable energy.  More on the FWBusinessPress.com website.

The American Petroleum Institute has a video that explains and illustrates the horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes.  It includes information about  drilling, fracturing, equipment, materials and environmental concerns.   This is an excellent video from an authoritative source,

The American Petroleum Institute has an excellent video that explains the horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. It explains the drilling process, fracturing procedure, equipment, materials used and environmental concerns.

An article in the Star-Telegram explains how technology that was initially used to produce natural gas from the Barnett Shale of Texas is being used as a worldwide model for gas shale development.

A Canadian Press article explains how horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have converted organic rich shales into viable natural gas plays.

Cabot Oil and Gas is in trouble with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection over two well site chemical spills with a combined volume of 8,000 gallons. The spills were a result of contractors working with a lubricant used in hydraulic fracturing. More in a Reuters article.

The United States Department of Energy funded nine natural gas from shale projects. Most of them are intended to improve the management of hydraulic fracturing water at shale drilling sites or waste water treatment sites. More in an article at Oil & Gas Journal.

Horizontal wells are causing some people to be concerned about losing the gas beneath their property to a well that is being drilled a mile or more away. An article at CNBC.com tells why some people in Oklahome are concerned.

An article in the Calgary Herald reports that Talisman Energy plans to drill more wells this year in the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania. Their horizontal wells in the Marcellus Shale have cost an average of $4 million each.

In a news release, Chesapeake Energy says that they are the largest leaseholder in the Marcellus Shale play with 1.45 million acres net. They are the most active driller in the play with 15 rigs and they expect to be the largest natural gas producer from the play by the end of 2009 with 80 mmcfe net per day. And they have increased their average per well yield projection from 3.75 bcfe to 4.2 bcfe.

An article at the Oil and Gas Journal reports that Apache Corporation is expecting to recover 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas from their Horn River Basin shale wells.

Here is a video that shows a day on the job with Omar, a field engineer trainee at Schlumberger. He takes you out to a hydraulic fracturing job where they fracture a deep formation and inject 150,000 pounds of bauxite proppant into the well.

An article in the Oil and Gas Journal reports that Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation is producing 39 MMcfd of gas from seven horizontal and 20 vertical wells drilled into the Marcellus Shale of northeastern Pennsylvania.