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Estimates Clash for How Much Natural Gas in the United States
Posted by National Geographic: Mason Inman on February 29th, 2012
National Geographic: Natural gas is now flowing so fast into U.S. pipelines that the big question seems to be what to do with it all: Engineer cars to run on methanol? Reopen shuttered chemical plants that rely on gas for feedstock? Export liquefied gas by tanker? With about two-thirds of U.S. states thought to hold natural gas reserves, many take President Barack Obama seriously when he calls the United States the "Saudi Arabia of natural gas."
But just how much natural gas does the United States have?
A close...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Estimates Clash for How Much Natural Gas in the United StatesU.S. Oil Fields Stage “Great Revival,” But No Easing Gas Prices
Posted by National Geographic: Mason Inman on February 10th, 2012
National Geographic: The United States has long been seen as a nation in its twilight as an oil producer, facing a relentless decline that began when President Richard Nixon was in the White House. He and every president since pledged to halt the U.S. slide into greater dependence on foreign oil, but the trend seemed irreversible—until now. Forty-one years later, U.S. oil production is on the rise. U.S. oil fields yielded an estimated 5.68 million barrels per day in 2011—their highest output since 2003, thanks largely...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on U.S. Oil Fields Stage “Great Revival,” But No Easing Gas PricesShale Gas: A Boon That Could Stunt Alternatives, Study Says
Posted by National Geographic: Mason Inman on January 17th, 2012
National Geographic: Shale gas has transformed the U.S. energy landscape in the past several years-but it may crowd out renewable energy and other ways of cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a new study warns.
A team of researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology used economic modeling to show that new abundant natural gas is likely to have a far more complex impact on the energy scene than is generally assumed. If climate policy continues to play out in the United States with a relatively weak set of...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Shale Gas: A Boon That Could Stunt Alternatives, Study Says“Mining” Groundwater in India Reaches New Lows
Posted by National Geographic: Mason Inman on January 2nd, 2011
National Geographic: This story is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues.
Nearly a third of India is suffering from chronic water shortages, and making up for it with "the world's largest groundwater mining operation," according to experts.
A band of land stretching across northern India, at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains, is one of the most heavily populated and intensely irrigated regions in the world. The area is chronically short of water. But the region still has a limited...