David A. Waples

This comprehensive look at the history of natural gas in Appalachia covers early topics like the first discovery of gas in the area and the first gas lamps, and then moves into information on the Marcellus Shale , a formation reaching horizontally across the state of New York and the northern Appalachians through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and a small part of northwestern Virginia. The author, David Waples, is a communications manager for a natural gas utility, and certainly downplays the environmental impacts of burning natural gas and of hydraulic fracturing, though the breadth of his history here is quite impressive. Recommended for those reading for knowledge on the history of the industry in a general sense, rather than knowledge about the environmental issues associated with natural gas.… (altro)

I'm grateful to have received a copy of this through LibraryThing's early reviewer program.

This book contains a lot of facts. Indeed, it is hard to imagine anyone writing a more comprehensive history of natural gas in Appalachia. It's not obvious to me who would read this for pleasure, but it does seem a book that college libraries in Appalachia, and libraries with strong holdings on energy, should own. The apparatus of footnotes and bibliography are excellent. One striking omission from most of the book is any discussion of environmental sustainability or environmental impacts of producing, transporting, and consuming gas. I say 'most', because the last chapter, on shale gas, written for the second edition, discusses environmental issues at length. But for the rest of the book, I could only find environmental concerns mentioned in passing, as external forces that constrained the profitability of gas companies. That suggests a worldview that sees environmental concerns as an add-on to, rather than an integrated part of, the history of an industry.

As an environmentalist working to limit the harmful impacts of fracking in North Carolina, I approached the last chapter of the book - on the ongoing shale gas boom -- with a distinct perspective. The author is generally sympathetic to fracking, and introduces all concepts related to fracking using industry frames (for example, describing the toxic chemicals used in the fracking process as a tiny percentage of the volume of fluid, rather than describing the large absolute volumes used). That said, the tone is relatively neutral and free of contempt, and he works hard to present both sides of every controversial aspect of fracking (usually the environmental critique first, followed by the industry rebuttal, rather than the other way around). Thus, the last chapter is a solid resource for anyone wanting to read a pro-industry take on the shale-gas revolution. The author acknowledges a number of accidents and spills associated with fracking in the Marcellus, but views these as isolated problems, not a basis for a systematic rejection of the technology. I think the author pays insufficient attention to the consistent, programmatic failures of state regulatory schemes - and the lack of safe, non-externalized disposal options for wastes -- but it is frankly difficult to imagine any author who could write the rest of this book who would come out in a different place on these points. One of the only really glaring omissions in the final chapter is its failure to address the future of shale gas in the context of real, ongoing climate change. In a few years, that omission is likely to make the book feel quaint; but it may still be the definitive regional history of the industry for the foreseeable future.… (altro)

An extremely comprehensive book that is perfectly subtitled: "A History from the First Discovery to the Maturity of the Industry." Not only does the reader get a full understanding of the natural gas industry, they get a sense of the lifestyle and characters who pioneered this industry. Filled with specific dates, names, places, and examples, this book is further complemented by several photographs of the historic events described. Interestingly, the reader will come away with a slightly better understanding of how oil played in the game. Additionally, it teaches how major characters, and not-so-major characters, in history were involved with oil and gas and the effect it had on the nation's growth.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in today's energy consumption. While the title may lend the reader to believe this to be a dry history read, it ends up holding one's attention very well.… (altro)