Radical environmental activists have often sought to portray shale energy production as a dangerous and reckless activity that is poorly understood by even those who work in the energy sector. Anyone who has seen shale energy production firsthand knows that this is not the case, as Brian Robson explains in a post on Breaking Energy.

Energy companies in Texas are driving the development of technologies that reduce water usage in the production of our shale energy resources. The Associated Press reported this week that energy "companies using hydraulic fracturing in Texas say they are recycling more water than ever before."
 
The AP cited recent testimony by Texas Railroad Commission Chairwoman Christi Craddick explaining that these successes were due, in part, to recent moves by the Texas Legislature to encourage industry led water conservation efforts. Craddick noted that the recent rule change brought about a cooperative approach intended to allow companies to "be innovative" in their approach to water conservation. This approach has resulted in significant gains in water conservation.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, now is the perfect time to show a little love for the overlooked and underappreciated sources of energy that make our modern lives tick. 

Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby did just that in his "valentine for fossil fuels" this week. Contrary to the calls by some radical climate activists for Americans "to sever our ties with the fossil fuel industry" through divestment and other measures, Jacoby presents a compelling case that we should celebrate the contributions of the energy industry to our daily lives.

Jacoby points out that "the rise of fossil fuels has led to dramatic gains in human progress — whether that progress is measured in terms of life expectancy, income, education, health, sanitation, transportation, or leisure. Nearly everything that is comfortable and convenient about modern civilization depends on the ready availability of energy." Even the most radical activists understand this, as they "know better than to push people to give up electricity, air travel, computers, or central heating — all of which would vanish without the fossil fuel industry."

An interesting connection was made this week by Forbes contributor Bill Tucker in his article "Its Not The Fracking Making Trouble in Texas". Tucker zeroes in on the anti-vaccination movement and explains that there are common threads among this and other anti-science movements that have taken root in communities across the United States.

According to Tucker, the "anti-vaxxer crowd has on its side nothing except bad science and a lot of emotion…What does that debate have to do with energy? Bad science just keeps appearing everywhere propelled by powerful emotions."

A new line of anti-shale gas rhetoric has emerged from the professional environmentalists in recent months. As other scare tactics have lost their strength, these activists have moved on to methane emissions as the latest threat to humanity.

Stephen Moore writes in The Washington Times that this "methane scare" being pushed by "Big Green" is due to the fact that "almost all of the major air pollutants have declined markedly over the last several decades, so environmental groups need to invent new scare tactics to fill up their coffers. The emissions of lead, sulfur and smog have all fallen by at least half since 1970. The air in major American cities such as Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Chicago are as clean as they've been in many decades. Big Green is running out of things to complain about."

Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is giving credibility to this scare tactic. The EPA recently "announced major new regulations on the emissions of methane into the air from oil and gas production. It calls methane a ‘potent’ pollutant and its new rules would require a 45 percent reduction by 2025 from 2012 levels."

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this week that his administration would prohibit “hydraulic fracturing in New York State because of concerns over health risks, ending years of debate over a method of extracting natural gas.” This move was hailed by anti-shale energy activists, but many analysts observed that it was a nakedly political move that had little to do with science or data.

Katie Brown of Energy In Depth was among the commentators pointing out the inaccuracy of the claim “that there isn’t enough scientific evidence to ensure the process (of hydraulic fracturing) is safe.” In fact, according to Brown, many of the studies cited by the New York Department of Health as influencing their decision have “been either discredited or shown to have exceedingly faulty methodologies.” Also, “when discussing just about every one of these dubious studies, DOH admits that they actually didn’t have any evidence to link hydraulic fracturing to health impacts.” Michael Lynch of Forbes observed that the move gives the impression that “regulation (in New York) is a popularity contest, not science driven.”

The Congressional Budget Office, which conducts nonpartisan analysis for Congress, released a report this week detailing the impact of the shale energy boom on the American economy.

The report ("The Economic and Budgetary Effects of Producing Oil and Natural Gas From Shale") explains that "the development of shale resources", while "virtually nonexistent a decade ago…has boomed in the United States." Shale resources are now responsible for approximately "3.5 million barrels of tight oil per day and about 9.5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of shale gas per year."

According to the CBO, the impact of this increased production on the American economy is monumental. "On net, CBO estimates that real (inflation-adjusted) GDP will be about two-thirds of 1 percent higher in 2020 and about 1 percent higher in 2040 than it would have been without the development of shale resources."

While there is much to be thankful for as Americans and Texans, we are particularly thankful for the American energy innovators who started right here in the Barnett Shale. These men and women developed, and continue to improve, the groundbreaking innovations such as the "combination of horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and information technology" that have "unlocked" America’s shale resources.

The emergence of these new energy sources have upended conventional wisdom about the future of American energy and enhanced our energy security. "The shale boom has added at least $300 billion annually to the U.S. economy over the past half-dozen years, along with nearly two million jobs. Without this addition to the GDP, America's economy would have stalled, or been in recession, for nearly every year since 2008." Also, these gains are strengthening our position in the world by reducing our dependence on hostile nations for our energy supply.

The American shale revolution has ushered in a "new age of abundant and cheap energy supplies" that "is redrawing the world's geopolitical landscape, weakening and potentially threatening the legitimacy of some governments while enhancing the power of others."

Thankfully, the strategic position of the United States has been boosted by the enhanced energy security provided by our shale energy resources. According to Robert Hormats, a former undersecretary at the State Department, the United States "is emerging as a big winner" in this new energy era as we are now "less vulnerable to supply disruptions overseas." Enhanced energy security "also provides added leverage in international negotiations, whether with Iran over its nuclear program or with Russia over its intentions in Ukraine."

A key component of shale energy production made news this week as a group of University of Colorado-Boulder scientists released their findings about the safety of hydraulic fracturing fluid ingredients.

These researchers were studying the fluid that is used to create fissures in shale rock, which are then propped open by sand to allow oil and gas to flow to the surface. This decades old procedure has been safely used more than a million times in the United States. Despite the common usage of this technique, many people do not know that hydraulic fracturing fluid is typically composed of over 99.5% water and sand. The remaining half of a percent includes various components that are added to ensure safe and efficient energy production.