Historical West Virginia fracking information, 1815-2015
 in West Virginia |
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This page contains historical information about fracking in West Virginia. For more current information about fracking in West Virginia, see this article.
As of 2014, detailed information about the extent to which fracking was used in West Virginia was limited. The information below describes fracking and oil and gas production in West Virginia generally.
Fracking background
- See also: Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of oil and natural gas extraction. The process involves injecting fluid into subterranean rock formation at a high pressure, creating a fracture network that allows the crude oil and natural gas inside dense rocks to flow into a wellbore and be extracted at the surface. The fluid used in this process is made up of sand and water, which comprise 95 percent of the fluid, and other chemical additives, which comprise less than 5 percent of the fluid.[1]
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were approximately 23,000 hydraulically fractured wells in the United States in 2000. By 2015, there were an estimated 300,000 hydraulically fractured wells. To learn more about fracking, see this article.[2][3]
History
According to the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, the first reported discovery of natural gas in West Virginia occurred in 1815 near Charleston at a well drilled for salt. In 1859, near the Hughes River, oil was discovered at another well drilled for salt. This well produced 200 barrels per day in 1859. Oil production peaked in 1900 at 16 million barrels, though natural gas production continued to grow until 1917. Natural gas production declined from 1917 through 1934, at which point production began to increase. This increase in production lasted until roughly 1970.[4]
Production
The graphs below detail oil and natural gas production in West Virginia from 1981 to 2013.[5][6][7]
Fracking policy in the 50 states
Click on a state below to read more about that state's energy policy.'
See also
External links
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, "West Virginia Profile"
- Frac Focus, "National Hydraulic Fracturing Chemical Registry"
Footnotes
- ↑ Frack Wire, “What is Fracking,” accessed January 28, 2014
- ↑ University of Oklahoma, "Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources," accessed March 12, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Hydraulic fracturing accounts for about half of current U.S. crude oil production," March 15, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, "History of WV Mineral Industries - Oil and Gas," updated July 16, 2004
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Crude Oil Production," July 30, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals and Production," July 31, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Dry Natural Gas Proved Reserves," accessed February 18, 2014
