Natural gas has been produced in New York and Pennsylvania for nearly a century. Easily accessible reserves have been found in sand, sandstone and limestone layers at depths up to three or four thousand feet. Most of these reserves are low productivity, and some are only marginally economic.
A few years ago, geologists identified a very deep underground formation over two miles below the surface that had the possibility of becoming a considerable reserve. Drilling technology has only recently been applied that can access these 10,000- to 12,000- foot-deep pockets and do it economically. At the same time, the increased value of natural gas has made these wells more financially attractive.
Shallow well gas production in New York is steadily on the decline.
Trenton-Black River production has been on the rise
since its local discovery in 1998.
Chart figures provided are from
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - NYDEC
