Over roughly the past decade, oil and gas production in the United States has surged dramatically—thanks largely to technological advances such as high-volume hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as “fracking.” This rapid increase has generated widespread debate, with proponents touting economic and energy-security benefits and opponents highlighting the environmental and social risks of increased oil and gas production. Despite the heated debate, neither side has a monopoly on the facts. In this book, Daniel Raimi gives a balanced and accessible view of oil and gas development, clearly and thoroughly explaining the key issues surrounding the shale revolution. The Fracking Debate directly addresses the most common questions and concerns associated with fracking: What is fracking? Does fracking pollute the water supply? Will fracking make the United States energy independent? Does fracking cause earthquakes? How is fracking regulated? Is fracking good for the economy? Coupling a deep understanding of the scholarly research with lessons from his travels to every major U.S. oil- and gas-producing region, Raimi highlights stories of the people and communities affected by the shale revolution, for better and for worse. The Fracking Debate provides the evidence and context that have so frequently been missing from the national discussion of the future of oil and gas production, offering readers the tools to make sense of this critical issue.

“A book that should be read . . . Smith brings an alchemic talent to describing physical labor.” —The New York Times Book Review “Beautiful, funny, and harrowing.” – Sarah Smarsh, The Atlantic “Remarkable . . . this is the book that Hillbilly Elegy should have been.” —Kirkus Reviews A vivid window into the world of working class men set during the Bakken fracking boom in North Dakota Like thousands of restless men left unmoored in the wake of the 2008 economic crash, Michael Patrick Smith arrived in the fracking boomtown of Williston, North Dakota five years later homeless, unemployed, and desperate for a job. Renting a mattress on a dirty flophouse floor, he slept boot to beard with migrant men who came from all across America and as far away as Jamaica, Africa and the Philippines. They ate together, drank together, argued like crows and searched for jobs they couldn't get back home. Smith's goal was to find the hardest work he could do--to find out if he could do it. He hired on in the oil patch where he toiled fourteen hour shifts from summer's 100 degree dog days to deep into winter's bracing whiteouts, all the while wrestling with the demons of a turbulent past, his broken relationships with women, and the haunted memories of a family riven by violence. The Good Hand is a saga of fear, danger, exhaustion, suffering, loneliness, and grit that explores the struggles of America's marginalized boomtown workers—the rough-hewn, castoff, seemingly disposable men who do an indispensable job that few would exalt: oil field hands who, in the age of climate change, put the gas in our tanks and the food in our homes. Smith, who had pursued theater and played guitar in New York, observes this world with a critical eye; yet he comes to love his coworkers, forming close bonds with Huck, a goofy giant of a young man whose lead foot and quick fists get him into trouble with the law, and The Wildebeest, a foul-mouthed, dip-spitting truck driver who torments him but also trains him up, and helps Smith "make a hand." The Good Hand is ultimately a book about transformation--a classic American story of one man's attempt to burn himself clean through hard work, to reconcile himself to himself, to find community, and to become whole.

"Since 1859, oil has enabled and defined our economic, social and political landscape. Throughout this time, abundant supply ensured low, stable prices and the inner workings of the oil industry remained relatively obscure. Following a century and a half of relative calm, oil prices have become much more volatile as the sustainability and growth of reliable supply sources have been brought into question. This book provides a guide to oil; from its history, to sources of supply and drivers of demand; from how prices are determined daily in global wholesale oil markets, to how those markets are connected to prices at the pump." -- Book jacket.

Save Money, Time, and Lives with the Real-World Oil & Gas Experience of Others. Learning the Hard Way in the Oilfield can Cost You Millions, sometimes Billions of Dollars in addition to Injury and Loss of Life. Cut Through the Noise to Focus on the Most Critical Aspects of Working in the Oil and Gas Business. Based on over 1,000 Oil and Gas Situations involving Drilling, Cementing, Fracking, Wireline, Coil Tubing, Snubbing, Running Tools, Welding, Production, Workover, Logging, Trucking, Geology, Land, Engineering, Resource Development, Executive Management and much, much more. Expand Your Value Creation Opportunities by Learning from the Real-World Experience of Others. Whether you work in the office or in the field, work as a Company Man, Engineer, Driller, Tool Pusher, Roughneck, Geologist, Landman, Truck Driver, Frac Hand, Treater, Cementer, Lawyer, Flowback Hand, Welder, Geophysicist, Snubber, Pumper, Equipment Operator, Derrick Man, Mechanic, Petrophysicist, Roustabout, Manager, Director, VP, or Executive, consider adding Oilfield Survival Guide to your toolbox of knowledge. In other words, if you work hard for your money in the oil business, this book is for you. The oil & gas industry is one of the most capital-intensive businesses today. As a result, mistakes/situations can be expensive, in addition to injury and loss of life. To prevent undesirable situations, Oilfield Survival Guide was created, based on over 1,000 oil & gas situations. The ultimate guide for all oil and gas situations: ● Tactics ● Procedures ● Fatalities ● Short Stories ● Train Wrecks ● Disaster Avoidance ● Court Cases ● Life Savings Skills ● Checklists ●Troubleshooting ● Problem Job Prevention ● Oilfield Survival Guide is the ultimate oil industry resource to help manage oilfield risk and avoid mistakes by increasing your oil and gas knowledge and intelligence, utilizing a variety of methods, including: Tactics: Short and to the point guidelines to reduce risk and instill work principles to be successful in the oil industry, from the field to the office. Short Stories: Experience from the mistakes of others. Fatalities: Detailed analysis of oil and gas tragedies. Court Cases: Jury trials, expert witness testimony, and legal opinions on a variety of oil and gas cases. Procedures: Step-by-step process to create oilfield procedures and checklists, along with multiple examples. Operations Analysis: Oil and gas operations post-mortem, highlighting key learnings, practical knowledge, useful tips, and best practices. Over 1,000 oil and gas situations analyzed to create Oilfield Survival Guide.

“Full of schadenfreude and speculation—and solid, timely history too.” —Kirkus Reviews “This is a portrait of capitalism as white-knuckle risk taking, yielding fruitful discoveries for the fathers, but only sterile speculation for the sons—a story that resonates with today's economic upheaval.” —Publishers Weekly “What's not to enjoy about a book full of monstrous egos, unimaginable sums of money, and the punishment of greed and shortsightedness?” —The Economist Phenomenal reviews and sales greeted the hardcover publication of The Big Rich, New York Times bestselling author Bryan Burrough's spellbinding chronicle of Texas oil. Weaving together the multigenerational sagas of the industry's four wealthiest families, Burrough brings to life the men known in their day as the Big Four: Roy Cullen, H. L. Hunt, Clint Murchison, and Sid Richardson, all swaggering Texas oil tycoons who owned sprawling ranches and mingled with presidents and Hollywood stars. Seamlessly charting their collective rise and fall, The Big Rich is a hugely entertaining account that only a writer with Burrough's abilities-and Texas upbringing-could have written.