21-11-08 An energy association said that production of natural gas from shale deposits in the United States could be doubled over the next decade.
The Natural Gas Supply Association said its calculations indicated that 25 % of US natural gas demand could be satisfied by the exploiting shale beds located in Appalachia, the Barnett Permian Basin of Texas and other areas of the nation.

Shale gas is locked in the dense shale rock and is released through a process known as hydraulic fracturing in which water and sand are pumped into a well and build up enough pressure to fracture the rock.
"What we've seen so far from shale fields is just the tip of the iceberg," Terry Ruder, vice chairman of the Natural Gas Supply Association, said.

Ruder said shale accounted for 6-8 bn cfpd of natural gas in 2008, about 10-12 % of US gas demand. He estimated that production could reach 20 Bn cfpd over the next 10 years. The promise of shale gas will require some help from the federal government, however.
"To facilitate a steady supply growth of natural gas from shale, we need a stable tax and regulatory environment," Ruder said.