Message #10157

[lil mike]

http://www.freep.com/article/20111225/NEWS07/112250429/Shale-gas-puts-some-energy-independence-within-reach-for-U-S

Shale gas puts some energy independence within reach for U.S.

TOWANDA, Pa. -- Ever since Richard Nixon's 1973 promise to attain energy independence, successive U.S. presidents all have pledged the same goal -- even as foreign supplies composed a larger and larger share of the U.S. energy mix.

Now, almost 40 years later, a measure of independence is within reach. But as this booming town in northeastern Pennsylvania shows, the quest for independence involves both opportunities and trade-offs.

It may surprise many, but in less than a decade, the U.S. could pass its 1970s peak as an oil and natural gas producer. If that happens -- and many analysts think it's possible -- the U.S. would edge past Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the world's top energy producer