Don’t miss this interesting Wall Street Journal ($) article on the extraction of natural gas from the Barnett Shale formation, which contains 27 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (enough to supply all gas-heated homes in the U.S. for more than five years) and happens to be located directly underneath Fort Worth.
Drillers hide the unsightly drilling equipment from homeowners by using horizontal drilling techniques, which drill straight down before gradually bending and running parallel to the surface. So, often a well that is drilling a productive zone under a piece of propery is located over a mile away from the property. The article reports that there are now over 90 rigs drilling natural gas wells around the Fort Worth metropolitan area.
Houston's Clear Thinkers
Longtime Houston attorney Tom Kirkendall's observations on developments in law, business, medicine, culture, sports, and other matters of general interest to the Houston business, professional, and academic communities.
Never before in the history of oil and gas development has technology been used for worker safety, increased production and environmental safety. The vast majority of the property owners are happy to put up with a little drilling noise for royalty revenues. The only uphappy persons are the ones who agreed to give up their mineral rights years ago. I’m investing in Barnett Shale wells at every opportunity.
Bill