A paper describing natural gas reserves in the eastern United States, how much may be obtainable, and how production would work.

From the paper: "A project has been Initiated by the Energy Research and Development Administration {ERDA) to characterize gas-bearing shale formations and develop improved gas-extraction technology for these lowpenneabl 11 ty "tight" reservol rs. The Eastern Devonian Shales are very prominent In this assessement, since they underlie a large section of the eastern and central portions of the United States. There Is considerable uncertainty In the magnitude of the hydrocarbon resource base since estimates range as high as 460,000 TCF {gas equivalents) In the Appalachian Basin alone; however, a recent estimate places the gas In place at 2,400 TCF. If only 10 percent of this latter figure were recovered, this would be enough natural gas to supply the eastern United States for 30 years at the current rate of consumption. Obviously, the potential payoff from the Eastern Shale is much greater If technology can be developed to increase the rate and amount of natural gas recovery. The primary reason why the natural gas has not been more fully exploited is that the wells that have been completed normally have low productivities, I.e., they produce at an average rate of 50,000 scf per day. By using advanced fracturing and stimulation methods, this rate may be increased two to four times. Fracturing results have been mixed since many new techniques have been tried. Massive Hydraulic Fracturing (MHF), foam, gas, dendrltic, and high yield explosives have already been tested with varying degrees of success or failure."