C+Block+-+Gas

= Energy in New Mexico - Gas = By Kerry McNamara, Lexie Sanchez, and Cody Hufford.

__History of Natural Gas__
by Kerry McNamara

In 1785, Britain was the first country to commercialize the use of natural gas, the British used the gas to produce electricity and streetlights. In 1816, natural gas was discovered. Edward Drake was the first man to drill out natural gas. The United States government decided to start regulating the industry of natural gas. The government them started the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The FERC was a commission that was going to start regulating the use of natural gas and the quality of the gas. Today in the 21st century there is a high concern of gas quality. Before natural gas can be produced and turned into fuel it has to go under processing. When they process natural gas, It makes sure that the gas is clean then they remove any water that has got into the natural gas. The hydrocarbon gas mixture consists of primary methane but also contains carbon, dioxide, nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide.





__Current Use of Natural Gas in New Mexico__
By Lexie Sanchez

Natural gas accounts for 24% of total energy in the United States. New Mexico has the third largest number of natural gas preserves and is the sixth largest producer of natural gas in the United States, producing over 1.2 billion ft3 of natural gas per year. This is enough to supply 18 million homes with natural gas. In 2011, New Mexico accounted for 5.3% of the United States marketed production of natural gas. There are about 600 to 700 wells drilled and completed each year. New Mexico’s main gas producing region is located in the San Juan Basin, around Aztec, Bloomfield, and Farmington. It is one of the world’s largest natural gas fields. Currently, there are tens of thousands of producing wells in the region. The second largest gas-producing area is known as the Permian Basin, located in and around Lovington, Artesia, Hobbs, and Carlsbad. The gas industry brings over 6 million dollars every day in taxes and royalties to New Mexico.

__Current Science of natural gas__
By Cody Hufford

The science of natural gas is about the same as oil. It is a product of decomposed organic matter. Natural gas is a hydrocarbon mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide. In its pure form, natural gas is a colorless, odorless gas composed primarily of methane. Methane, the simplest and lightest hydrocarbon, is a highly flammable compound. Natural is a carbon atom surrounded by four hydrogen atoms making CH4.They pull the gas from underground with other gas and liquid compounds. Before natural gas can be used as a fuel, it must go through a process to clean the gas. Natural gas processing consists of separating all of the hydrocarbons and fluids (oil and water) from the pure natural gas, to make what is known as “pipeline quality” natural gas. “Pipeline quality” means it is a dry gas and clean enough to pump through the pipes and into house and buildings.

__Benefits__
By Cody Hufford

The benefits of natural gas are that it is clean, affordable and it has plenty of uses. If we use more natural gas then we do oil and coal we can make sure we have enough resources to supply our energy better.
 * Domestic uses like home heating and cooling, cooking, fuel for transportation
 * Steam heat production
 * Electrical generation
 * Manufacturing and industrial uses like producing steel, glass, forest products, clothing, cement, fertilizer and petrochemicals
 * Creating polyethylene polymers, which is the most widely used plastic
 * Natural gas produces up to 65 percent fewer emissions than coal and 25 percent fewer emissions than oil per hour.
 * Natural gas is 20 percent to 30 percent more affordable than gasoline based on 2009 prices
 * Natural gas fueling consists mostly of land and tools costs. Not the fuel itself, meaning stable and reliable prices.

__Drawbacks__
By Lexie Sanchez

Although natural gas is cleaner than oil and coal, it still shows several disadvantages. Among these include cost, damage, and pollution. These are several other disadvantages of using natural gas as an energy source.
 * Nonrenewable-Natural gas is a fossil fuel. This means that it is nonrenewable. This energy source will eventually run out.
 * Pipelines- Natural gas requires long pipelines and large tankers for transportation. These pipelines disrupt the ecosystem.
 * Carbon Dioxide-Natural gas is cleaner than coal and gasoline, however, it is still a fossil fuel. This means it releases carbon dioxide when burned, contributing to global warming.
 * Combustibility-Natural gas is extremely flammable. In the case of a leak, a fire or explosion can easily occur.
 * Contamination-A process known as hydrofracturing, or fracking, is performed to extract natural gas. People residing around fracking areas reported contamination of water. These include rash-inducing showers, as well as water which livestock refuse to drink.
 * Damage-Fracking also causes immediate damage to drilling sites.