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The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World

Page 37

by Russell Gold


  McClendon, Kathleen Upton Byrns, 166, 171, 173, 202

  Mace, Robert E., 108–9

  McKibben, Bill, 264–66

  Mad Money, 206

  Magnolia Petroleum, 21, 277

  Marathon Oil, 117

  Byington and, 41–42

  finances of, 39, 42, 49

  and fracking of Irene Kovaloff, 39–42, 44, 49, 52, 60, 62

  Marble, Bill, 153–54

  Marcellus Shale, 17, 189, 195, 227–32, 239, 267

  accidents in, 228–29

  extent of, 2, 234, 238

  fracking and, 221, 227–29, 231–32

  gas and, 2, 193, 225, 228, 230–32, 234

  Gold’s parents’ land and, 2, 14

  McClendon and, 192–93, 228, 231

  New York and, 255–56, 261

  Sullivan County and, 215, 218–22, 230–31, 234, 237

  water contamination and, 229–31

  well construction integrity and, 286–89

  Marcellus Shale Coalition, 290

  Marc 1 Hub pipeline, 222, 224–26

  Matt 2H well, 11, 31–33

  Meadows, Dennis, 94–96

  Meadows, Donella, 94–95

  Mehoopany, Pa., 26–27

  Melvin, Marshel “JR,” 299

  Merrill Lynch, 166, 180

  methane, 32, 142, 231, 235

  well construction integrity and, 272, 287, 290, 308–9

  Miller, Randy, 104–8

  Milo Unit, 217–18

  mineral rights, mineral rights leasing, 21–27, 295–96

  Austin Chalk and, 176–77

  Barnett Shale and, 150–55, 191–93, 295

  Bartonville and, 300

  Celestia and, 212–13

  Chesapeake and, 1, 4, 10–11, 14, 26–27, 152, 154–55, 191–94, 197–98, 201–2, 206, 210, 217–19, 221, 228, 237, 245

  Devon and, 137, 142–43, 150, 152

  East Virgil prospect and, 171

  fracking and, 23–24, 123, 296

  gas and, 1, 23–24, 97, 150–55, 168–69, 193, 245, 310

  McClendon and, 166–70, 188, 190–93

  Marcellus Shale and, 228, 232, 255

  Mitchell and, 24, 88, 92–93, 97, 107, 150–51

  New York and, 255, 258

  Permian Basin and, 130

  severing surface ownership from, 13, 21, 25

  stealing oil and, 291

  Sullivan County and, 14, 210–11, 214–19, 224–25, 229, 232–33, 236–37

  well construction integrity and, 273

  Mining Bureau, Calif., 99

  Mitchell, Cynthia Woods, 89, 91, 134

  Mitchell, George P., 7–10, 86–93, 115, 129, 133–36, 152

  background of, 7, 9–10, 88–91, 96, 111–12

  Barnett Shale and, 8, 15, 88, 92–93, 102–4, 109, 113, 124

  Boonsville Bend and, 93, 101–2

  Cambe and, 86–88, 91

  energy change and, 302–3

  fracking and, 8–10, 24, 84–85, 92, 103–4, 113, 122–23, 134–35, 271

  lawsuits and, 107–12

  mineral rights and, 24, 88, 92–93, 97, 107

  old age of, 89–90, 112–14

  on population growth, 90, 95–96

  on regulating gas, 112–13

  on sustainability, 7, 90–91, 96–97, 113

  water contamination and, 98, 100, 107, 110, 112

  Wise County and, 88, 92–93, 98, 100–101, 103, 107–9

  Mitchell, Todd, 90, 104, 112–13, 133

  Mitchell Energy & Development Corporation, 7–8, 90, 93, 95, 98–113, 133–37, 149, 306

  Barnett Shale and, 8, 15, 103–4, 112, 124, 134–36, 143, 150–51

  Devon’s acquisition of, 137, 143–45, 155, 162

  finances of, 101–2, 104, 107–8, 115, 122, 126, 129, 133–34, 137, 144

  fracking and, 8, 24, 84–85, 103, 117–19, 121–23, 125–26, 129, 135–36, 143–44, 190

  imitators of, 150–51

  lawsuits of, 101, 105–12

  sale of, 134–37

  Steinsberger and, 115–19, 121, 125–26, 129, 133, 190

  water and, 98–101, 105–12

  Wise County and, 98, 100, 105, 107–12

  Mobil, 95, 118, 134

  see also Exxon, Exxon Mobil

  Moniz, Ernest, 33

  moonlighters, 68

  Morgantown Energy Technology Center, 84

  Morris, Harvey, 183

  napalm, 73–74, 76, 129

  National Mining Association, 244

  National Public Radio, 259

  natural gas, 38–39, 69, 196, 301

  abundance of, 35, 39, 131, 189, 197, 209, 242, 245, 254, 262, 265–68, 303–6

  accidents and, 226, 229, 232–33, 260

  and acidization of wells, 70

  Barnett Shale and, 3, 8, 15, 102–4, 109, 117, 120–22, 124–25, 131–32, 144–45, 148–55, 303

  benefits of, 35–36, 58–59, 306

  Boonsville Bend and, 93, 101–2

  Brune and, 263–64, 266

  Cambe and, 86–87

  carbon emissions and, 10–11, 34, 36, 241, 249, 254, 258, 264–67, 307–8

  Chesapeake and, 1–2, 9, 15, 27, 152, 154–55, 173, 177, 185–87, 193–94, 197, 199, 205, 241, 248, 252

  climate change and, 32, 34, 241, 245, 249–50, 264–66, 308–9

  coal vs., 5, 32, 131, 225, 241–42, 244–51, 254, 258–67, 306, 308–9

  Cooke and, 275, 278–79, 281

  demand for, 75, 131, 179, 245, 249, 268

  Devon and, 137, 141–42, 144–45, 148, 150, 152, 190

  East Virgil prospect and, 170–71

  electricity and, 5, 32, 35–36, 59, 178, 180, 225, 241, 244–45, 248, 262–65, 267

  energy trading and, 181–83, 197–201, 245

  Farris’s research and, 72–73

  finances of, see under economics, economy

  fracking and, 2–3, 5–6, 13, 18, 23–24, 27–31, 33, 73–74, 76–78, 80–85, 92, 120–22, 126–27, 129–30, 135, 143, 147–48, 188, 248, 262, 298, 303, 305, 309

  Gold’s parents’ land and, 1, 4–5, 10–11, 32

  green completions and, 32, 309–10

  Grimes’s lawsuit and, 22–23

  and Gulf of Mexico, 19, 113, 164, 273–74

  health impact assessments and, 308

  history and, 14, 16–18, 74

  independents and, 2–5

  McClendon and, 9–10, 154–55, 160–62, 164, 168, 174–75, 178–79, 185–90, 194, 197–206, 209, 231, 240–41, 245, 247–51, 253–55, 257, 267

  Marcellus Shale and, 2, 193, 225, 228, 230–32, 234

  mineral rights leasing and, 1, 23–24, 97, 150–55, 168–69, 193, 245, 310

  Mitchell and, 7–8, 24, 86–88, 90–93, 95, 97–101, 103–13, 115, 125–26, 134–37, 150–51

  mixing of water and, 98–101, 105–6, 109, 111, 230–31, 272, 286–88

  New York and, 255, 257–59, 261–62

  Nichols and, 135, 141, 144, 148, 156

  in North Dakota, 39, 309–10

  Perot Museum and, 295–96

  Pope and, 241, 249–50, 253–55, 257, 259, 265

  and proximity of wells, 19–20

  regulation of, 25, 32, 98–99, 101, 103, 106, 109–13, 151, 260, 287, 289, 291, 309

  renewables and, 36, 254, 261–62, 266–67

  shortages of, 75, 82–83, 102, 122, 187–88, 225, 241, 304

  Steinsberger and, 116–17, 120–22, 125–26, 128, 131–32

  Sullivan County and, 211, 214–15, 217, 219–20, 222–26, 229–30, 232–37

  superstitions and, 71, 151–52

  Turner’s lease and, 10–11

  UGR and, 83–85

  U.S. energy policy and, 81, 302–5, 307

  U.S. importation of, 35, 84, 122

  U.S. production of, 24, 33, 74, 84, 187, 209, 304

  water contamination and, 97–98, 100–101, 105–12, 230–31

  well construction integrity and, 271–72, 278, 281, 285–89

  New Mexico, 10, 142,
181

  New York, 2, 63, 166, 173, 195, 215, 222, 234, 237

  Downs and, 255–59, 261–63

  Ross #1 and, 255–58, 262

  Nichols, John W.:

  Devon and, 141, 155

  drilling fund of, 138–42

  Nichols, Larry, 135–38

  background of, 138, 140–41, 156

  comparisons between McClendon and, 155–56

  conservatism of, 141, 148, 151, 156

  Devon’s acquisitions and, 137, 142–44, 155, 157

  Gold’s visit with, 156–58

  and research and development, 143–44, 148, 155

  and sale of Mitchell Energy, 135–37

  Niels Esperson Building, 88, 91–92, 95, 111–12

  Nigeria, 33–34, 50, 125

  Nilles, Bruce, 258–59

  9/11 terrorist attacks, 137–38, 151, 251

  Nixon, Richard, 50, 81, 83, 162

  Nogee, Alan, 261

  noise logs, 288–89

  Nolte, Kenneth, 129

  North Dakota, 3, 5–6

  Bakken Shale in, 33, 38, 43–46, 49, 57

  employment and, 37–38, 46, 57

  fracking and, 37–49, 51–57, 60–62, 122

  gas and, 39, 309–10

  oil in, 6, 33, 38–39, 42–44, 49–50, 55–57, 60, 130, 310

  North Field, 17

  Norton, Wylie, 211, 232–33

  nuclear power, 79–83, 266, 303

  fracking and, 80–83, 129

  gas vs., 5, 35–36, 254

  in Germany, 302

  opposition to, 79, 263

  Nucor, 304, 306

  Obama, Barack, 58–59

  Occidental Petroleum, 176

  Ohio, 2, 5, 192, 206–7, 221

  oil, 2–10, 84, 103–6, 196, 231, 234–35, 254, 264, 303–6

  Austin Chalk and, 176–77

  Bakken Shale and, 33, 38–40, 43–44, 46–47, 49, 54–58, 62, 303

  Barnett Shale and, 117, 132

  benefits of, 19, 21, 58–59

  Burkburnett and, 20–23, 27, 30, 34, 300

  Cambe and, 86–87

  Chesapeake and, 173, 179, 187, 194, 199, 252

  Chu on, 59

  Cooke and, 277–79, 281–82

  Deepwater Horizon and, 260–61, 273–74

  demand for, 74–75

  drawbacks of, 19–22, 34, 59

  drilling funds and, 139–40, 142

  Eads and, 180, 185, 204

  East Virgil prospect and, 170–71

  extracted in Los Angeles, 149

  Farris’s research and, 71–72

  finances and, 8–9, 50, 56–57, 74, 125, 129, 133–34, 138, 141, 167, 179, 282, 285

  Fish’s background and, 61–62

  fracking and, 2–3, 5–6, 13, 18, 23, 27–30, 33–34, 40–41, 43–44, 48, 52, 54, 62–64, 66–70, 75–78, 80, 82, 103, 297, 303, 305

  Gearhart and, 281–83, 285, 291

  and Gulf of Mexico, 19, 75, 113, 134, 164, 260, 273–74

  history and, 14, 16–18, 63–83

  independents and, 2–3

  industry research on, 70–74, 76–79

  McClendon and, 9–10, 161–62, 164–65, 167–69, 174, 190, 198–99, 201–2, 206

  mineral rights and, 21–22, 168, 191, 193

  Mitchell and, 7–10, 86–87, 90–92, 95, 97, 105–6, 111, 134

  mixing of water and, 98–100, 279

  Nichols and, 138, 140–42, 156

  in North Dakota, 6, 33, 38–39, 42–44, 49–50, 55–57, 60, 130, 310

  peak, 57, 77–79

  Permian Basin and, 130, 230

  Perot Museum and, 295–96

  and proximity of wells, 19–20

  regulation of, 23, 25, 43, 98–99, 101, 106, 109–11, 113, 151, 180, 232, 287, 289, 291

  Spindletop and, 68–69

  Steinsberger on, 131–32

  Sullivan County and, 225–26

  superstitions and, 54, 71, 151–52, 277–78

  technology of extraction of, 59–60, 63, 66–70, 74

  Titusville and, 63, 65–67

  U.S. consumption of, 5–6, 49

  U.S. importation of, 33–35, 49–50, 59, 83, 122, 303–4

  U.S. production of, 24, 33–34, 49–51, 74, 77–78, 304

  Utica Shale and, 206, 221

  well construction integrity and, 271–72, 277, 280, 285, 292

  from Wilmington oil field, 118–19

  Oil! (Sinclair), 10

  Oil and Gas Investor, 250

  Oklahoma, 3, 7, 68, 73, 122, 153, 187, 192–93, 200, 229, 250

  East Virgil prospect and, 170, 173

  Golden Trend and, 168

  McClendon’s finances and, 201

  and opposition to coal, 247–49

  recession in, 9

  Oklahoma Capitol building, 146

  Oklahoma City, Okla., 75, 171

  Chesapeake’s corporate campus in, 1, 11, 157, 159, 186, 190, 202

  Devon and, 135–36, 138, 141, 143, 157

  McClendon and, 8–9, 156–58, 163–64, 166–67, 169, 178, 190, 194, 202, 241

  Nichols and, 140, 156, 158

  Sullivan County leasing and, 217, 219

  Oklahoma City Thunder, 9, 156, 163, 201

  Olson 10–15 #1H well, 54–57

  Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), 16–17, 44, 50, 161, 282, 304

  Paraskevopoulus, Savvas, 88–89, 96

  Parker, Bonnie, 120, 123

  Penn Square Bank, 9, 167

  Pennsylvania, 129–30, 205, 229–35, 297

  abandoned wells in, 231–32

  fracking and, 63–64, 66–68, 235, 239, 256

  gas and, 237, 255, 260

  Gold’s parents’ land in, 1–5, 7, 10–14

  Hanger and, 266–67

  Marcellus Shale and, 193, 227–31, 255, 267, 289

  water contamination in, 30–32, 229–33

  well construction integrity and, 287, 289–90

  see also Sullivan County, Pa.

  Permian Basin, 130, 181, 192, 230

  Perot, Ross, Jr., 295

  Perot Museum of Nature and Science, 295–96, 298, 310

  Perry, Rick, 245–46

  petroleum engineering, birth of, 100

  Phillips Unit, 217

  Pickens, T. Boone, 136, 200, 252

  Pickering, Dan, 197

  Pinkerton, John, 193, 227–28

  Plotner, Ralph E., 170–72

  Plowshare, Project, 80–82

  Ponder, Tex., 120, 122–23, 131

  Pope, Carl:

  gas and, 241, 249–50, 253–55, 257, 259, 265

  McClendon and, 240–42, 249–55, 257, 263

  population growth, 90, 94–96

  Post-it gate, 106

  Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act, 225

  Price, Tom, Jr., 244, 250

  proppants, 127

  Proteus, Andy, 232

  radial differential temperature log tool (RDT), 274–76, 278–81, 288, 307

  building new version of, 281, 283–86, 292–93

  Railroad Commission, Tex., 98, 101, 106, 109–11

  Rajszel, Pawel, 205

  Randall, Jack, 154

  Range Resources, 193, 227–28

  Reagan, Ronald, 141, 225

  Rees-Jones, Trevor, 150, 295

  Reibson, Betty and Milo, 215–21, 237

  Renz #1 well, 227

  Rio Blanco blast, 82

  Roberts, Edward A. L., 63–70

  torpedo of, 63, 66–70, 73

  Robertson, Ron, 300

  Rockefeller, John D., Sr., 65, 70, 134

  Roncalio, Teno, 82–83

  Ross #1 well, 255–58, 262

  Rowland, Marcus, 178, 180

  Royal Dutch Shell, 25, 99, 118, 149, 199, 231–32

  rubble chimneys, 81–82

  Ruffalo, Mark, 261

  Rulison bomb, 81

  Russia, 16, 57

  sand, 116

  and fracking of Irene Kovaloff, 40–44, 48, 61

  f
racking technology and, 27, 30, 40, 47, 51, 75–77, 117, 119–21, 126–27, 226, 280

  Sanders, Bernie, 199

  San Juan Basin, 142–43, 181

  Sarbanes-Oxley Act, 160

  Saudi Arabia, 17, 23, 44, 50–51, 304–5

  Saxon Oil, 141

  Schieber, Juergen, 17

  Schlumberger, 125

  Deepwater Horizon and, 274–75

  well construction integrity and, 274–76, 287, 290

  screen outs, 117–18, 120

  Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 138, 140

  shales, 93, 295

  and comparisons between Burkburnett and modern communities, 25–27

  comparisons between sandstone and, 127–29

  Cooke and, 275–76

  Devon’s research and, 143, 155

  Eads and, 195–96

  energy and, 14–15, 25–27, 34, 151–52, 155, 302–3, 305–7

  Engelder on, 234–35

  Foster on, 143–45, 147–48

  fracking and, 19, 28–29, 48, 60, 64, 80, 84–85, 117, 128–29, 147, 188, 190

  history and, 14–18

  Ingraffea on, 235–36

  and limits on gas well production, 131

  McClendon and, 9–10, 154–56, 160–61, 163, 188, 191–93, 195–97, 206–7

  mineral rights leasing and, 23–24, 191–93, 198, 206

  Mitchell and, 7–8, 89, 135–36

  overachieving wells in, 147

  water and, 14–15, 117, 270–71

  well construction integrity and, 272, 275, 286–87, 308–9

  see also specific shales

  S. H. Griffin #4 well:

  fracking of, 117–25, 128–30, 147–48

  wells in vicinity of, 123–24, 130–31

  Shoemakers, 237–38

  Sierra Club, 297

  Brune and, 252–53, 263

  gas and, 249, 254–55, 257–59, 263

  McClendon and, 248–55, 263

  New York and, 255, 257–59

  and opposition to coal, 241–43, 250, 253–54, 257–58, 263–64

  Pope’s management style and, 240–42, 251–54, 257, 259

  Silkwood, Karen, 164

  Silurian shales, 16–17

  Sinclair, Upton, 10

  Smiley, Brian, 269–70, 284, 286, 291–93

  Smith International, 282–83

  Society of Petroleum Engineers, 270, 281

  solar power, 34–35, 96, 254, 262–64, 266, 301

  Fast and, 72–73

  fracking and, 240, 306

  Mitchell and, 97, 113

  Southlake, Tex., 298–99

  Southwestern Energy, 27, 155

  Spindletop well, 68–69

  Standard Oil, 65, 70, 134, 143

  Stanolind Oil and Gas, 70–79

  fracking and, 43, 74, 78–79, 92, 122, 282, 297

  research of, 70–74, 76–79, 297

  Steinsberger, George, 118, 125

  Steinsberger, Nick, 115–33

  background of, 116, 118–20, 122, 125

  Barnett Shale and, 117–20, 124, 132

 

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