Infographic: Gas Surge Due to Three Regions

U.S. natural gas production is at record highs, and the nation now has a set of liquefied natural gas terminals for exporting liquefied gas internationally. Some of that LNG is going to Europe to relieve a shortage there.

That surplus is a result of what’s called shale gas. Thanks to the widespread application of two existing petroleum production technologies—horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing—to shale formations, methane that was tightly bound to the rock could be liberated and brought to the surface. But as the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported earlier this year, the real story is three shale gas production regions increased their output astronomically, while cumulatively the rest of the country—including four notable shale regions—has been flat.

The U.S. has turned from a potential importer of gas into a strategically important exporter. That shift is credited to shale gas, but it’s due really to just the Appalachia, Permian, and Haynesville regions.