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From This Collection

'Promised Land': Fracking as Hollywood tells it

Jan 3, 2013
"Promised Land," opening nationally in theaters, provides a nuanced account of fracking in rural Pennsylvania -- up to a point.

George Mitchell, 94, dies: Oil man unlocked fracking

Dec 7, 2012
It took nearly two decades for Texas oil man George Mitchell to develop fracking for natural gas. Now his process has unlocked an energy bonanza for the U.S.

How fracking affects a bean grown in India

Dec 6, 2012
Guar gum, made from beans grown mostly in India, is key to fracking. Its price has gone on a wild ride, sending oilfield companies scrambling.
Guar gum, made from beans grown mostly in India, is key to fracking. Its price has gone on a wild ride, sending oilfield companies scrambling.
Ton Rulkens / Creative Commons

Study supports exporting U.S. natural gas

Dec 6, 2012
Exports to most countries have long been barred by federal law. As the Department of Energy considers several requests for export licenses, a study says exporting our glut of natural gas would benefit the economy.

U.S. to pass Saudi Arabia as top oil producer

Nov 12, 2012
A boom fueled by hydraulic fracturing of shale should add millions of jobs in the U.S. The question: How long will it last?

Wesley Clark puts name behind Kosovo coal project

Oct 26, 2012
The retired Army general is known for the NATO bombing campaign to help drive out Slobadan Milosevic. Now, Wesley Clark hopes to start a coal extraction project in Kosovo.

America's energy boom revives Ohio's steel industry

Oct 23, 2012
Every fracking well requires miles of pipe. The result is new investment in Ohio steel mills -- which also benefit from cheap natural gas for fuel.

For public good, not for profit.

The real energy gusher produced by Ohio fracking: Oil

Oct 22, 2012
The presidential campaign talks a lot about coal in Ohio, but the fossil fuel of the moment is oil. Fracking has made possible a second oil boom, more than a century after the state's first one.

Pennsylvania allows fracking on public college campuses

Oct 12, 2012
Pennsylvania's state colleges have been hit hard by budget cuts. Now the state is allowing natural-gas drilling on campuses to raise money for the system.