Natural gas in the United States natural gas and natural gas liquids. The exploration for and production of natural gas and petroleum form a single industry, and many wells produce both oil and gas. Because of the greater supply, consumer prices for natural gas are significantly lower in the United States than in Europe and Japan. The low price of natural gas, together with its smaller carbon footprint compared to coal, has encouraged a rapid growth in electricity generated from natural gas. Between 2005 and 2014, US production of natural gas liquids (NGLs) increased 70%, from 1.74 million barrels per day in 2005 to 2.96 million
Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing life cycle of oil or coal. Until recently, Canadian provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia produced over half of their electricity from coal combustion whereas Ontario has already completely phased out coal-powered electricity. Switching from coal- to natural gas-powered electricity can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by ~50% and also decrease the amount of NOx and SOx emitted to atmosphere. Lack of baseline data or before-and-after hydraulic fracturing sample collection and analysis makes it challenging to quantify environmental impacts (if any) resulting from hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing fluids include proppants and other substances, which may include toxic chemicals. In