US Energy Agency: PA Driving Northeast Gas Production

August 30, 2011 | 4:42 PM

By Scott Detrow

This chart from the United States Energy Information Agency illustrates how Marcellus Shale drilling is driving the boat, when it comes to natural gas production in the northeast region. Pennsylvania, in particular, has seen a rapid boom, and now leads the way.

EIA.gov

Pennsylvania is driving northeast gas production

From the EIA website:

According to Bentek Energy, LLC estimates, natural gas production in West Virginia and Pennsylvania now averages almost 4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), more than five times as much as the average from 2004 through 2008. It accounts for over 85% of total Northeastern natural gas production.

The chart above highlights these trends:

Production in Northeastern Pennsylvania recently passed 2 Bcf/d, up from just 0.4 Bcf/d at the start of 2010.

In Southwestern Pennsylvania, production is over 0.8 Bcf/d, more than three times the level at the beginning of 2010.

In West Virginia, production has grown over 40% since January 2010 and recently surpassed 1 Bcf/d.

Production in the rest of the Northeast has been roughly unchanged since 2007.

Update: Kathryn Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, weighs in on the report with this emailed comment: “This data – which comes on the heels of new PA DEP data showing a 60 percent increase in Marcellus Shale production over the past year – is further confirmation that our region will continue to play a significant and growing role in meeting our nation’s increasing energy demands.”

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http://twitter.com/economic_status economic_status

Dear Mr. President Obama, Gov. Cuomo
and all people who should protect your voters and the nation!

To allow immediately the extraction of natural gas at all places the DEC has already declared outside watersheds is the only way to save the future.
The economy hits rock bottom, the cure is in your hands but you gave the power to a group of environmental extremists. They want a perfect regulation but that is impossible. Not one kind of industry is without risks, not now and not in future. They are talking about environmental impacts caused by natural gas drilling. But they cannot exhibit any evidence, not one. They are just playing for time to find a basement for the own unfounded pronouncements and theses. They are talking about methane in aqueducts. Nobody ask first the person who has drilled the water well on the farm whether it has hit any methane shale. Just for example.
A lot of studies based on canards. That is a modern version of the inquisition.
They do not see more than the own tunnel straight ahead.
They will wait until the economic disaster is irreversible.
The U.S. economy is down.
Smaller companies will become insolvent, not just gas drillers.
A lot more people will be unemployed. Maybe some small town will die.
Infrastructures will be destroyed and the U.S. economy won’t be better.
Alone the current official plan to balance the debt won’t be sufficient, on the contrary.
Investors will be discouraged.
Every child knows that you cannot expect to get juice from a dry pressed fruit.
Certainly you can try other methods, from the other side or with more pressure, but it won’t work.
You have to find another fruit to get juice.
Your fruit is natural gas.
So just take back the responsibility from the DEC and take action, before it is too late.
Every day without natural gas drilling will be a month to repair the economic aftermath.

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