Importance

Americas demand for natural gas and oil is more essential than ever before.  Now that a clean, green environment is a top priority, natural gas is a leading alternative to replace coal and oil because it burns much cleaner.  Many of the freshly drilled natural gas wells fail to produce gas fast enough to sustain an economically beneficial well.  Hydraulic fracturing has allowed the natural gas and oil to flow more freely, increasing the rate of flow to the surface. It has also allowed for more oil and natural gas to be considered recoverable, increasing America's oil and gas reserves.

Statistics conclude that as a result of hydraulic fracturing, 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 7 billion barrels of oil have been attributed to meet the nation's energy needs.  In addition, fracturing is estimated to be responsible for 30 percent of U.S. recoverable oil and gas reserves.  By 2020, shale gas is projected to make up a third of North America's gas production.