American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Natural Gas: From Shortages to Abundance in the United States
American Economic Review
vol. 103,
no. 3, May 2013
(pp. 338–43)
Abstract
The history of natural gas wellhead and pipeline regulation, deregulation and regulatory reforms are discussed. These reforms brought natural gas shortages and pipeline inefficiencies to an end. They also created an economic platform that could support unanticipated developments in the supply and costs of domestic natural gas. Such unanticipated developments emerged in the last few years as several technological innovations came together to make it commercially attractive to development US shale gas deposits located deep in the earth. How and why shale gas supplies will lead to dramatic changes in the United States' energy future with appropriate environmental regulatory reforms are discussed.Citation
Joskow, Paul L. 2013. "Natural Gas: From Shortages to Abundance in the United States." American Economic Review 103 (3): 338–43. DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.3.338Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- L71 Mining, Extraction, and Refining: Hydrocarbon Fuels
- L78 Industry Studies: Primary Products and Construction: Government Policy
- Q41 Energy: Demand and Supply
- Q48 Energy: Government Policy