The Natural Gas Industry in Appalachia: A History from the First Discovery to the Tapping of the Marcellus Shale, 2d ed. / Edition 2

by David A. Waples

Overview

The large scale, practical uses of natural gas were initially introduced by innovators Joseph Pew and George Westinghouse for the steel and glass industries in Pittsburgh, and local gas companies evolved from individual wells to an interstate supply network acquired by Rockefeller's Standard Oil interests. Natural gas is now a prevalent part of American markets and with the production from the Marcellus shale is filling the critical void left by a lack of new coal, oil, and nuclear power facilities. This vital American enterprise began in the Appalachian states as an accidental and underestimated byproduct of the oil rush of 1859. This book explores the evolution and significance of the natural gas industry to the present day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786470006
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	05/10/2012
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	377
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

David A. Waples is the author of both nonfiction and fiction works. He is a corporate communications manager for a natural gas utility and teaches communications at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Preface to the First Edition 1

Preface to the Second Edition 5

1 Burning Springs The Cradle of the Industry 7

2 The Gas Light Era Manufacturing "Unnatural" Gas 26

3 Pew, Westinghouse, and the Iron City The New Product 43

4 The House That John D. Built Gas Corporate Development 59

5 From the Ground Down Exploration and Production 91

6 Hidden Highway Natural Gas Transmission 134

7 The Gas House Gang Natural Gas Distribution 180

8 Expansion, Crisis, and Recovery Appalachia and America in the Late Twentieth Century 214

9 Back to the Future Appalachia and the Marcellus Shale 226

Epilogue: The Known and Unknown 286

Appendix 1 Timeline 289

Appendix 2 Glossary 294

Chapter Notes 309

Selected Bibliography 342

Index 347

Editorial Reviews

comprehensive...this is an important overview of not only a key resource, but a key issue which will affect our region for decades to come”—Appalachian Heritage; “Waples provides a timely updated second edition of his book on the origins and growth of the natural gas industry in mountainous Appalachia”—Reference & Research Book News.

From the Publisher

"Waples provides a timely updated second edition of his book on the origins and growth of the natural gas industry in mountainous Appalachia"

Reference & Research Book News

comprehensive...this is an important overview of not only a key resource, but a key issue which will affect our region for decades to come

Appalachian Heritage