The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World

A decade ago, Russell Gold noticed something going on in Fort Worth, Texas-oil drillers were suddenly afire with talk of a strange new phenomenon. Employing a new method that seemed a lot more like mining than drilling, they were improbably extracting natural gas from rock that had confounded everyone for decades-almost imporous shale. Since then, Gold-a senior energy correspondent for The Wall Street Journal -has roamed the country investigating the boom created by the Fort Worth discovery. It has taken him to an overnight stay with a fracking crew in North Dakota, a bumpy ride on a pickup truck with ranchers in south Texas, and a hostile welcome by the repair crew on an exploded well in Pennsylvania. Along the way, he met with neighbors, workers, oil executives and environmentalists. The result is The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World. In his new book, Gold unravels the mystery of hydraulic fracturing, how it has affected the lives of thousands of Americans, propelled a new energy-fueled economic boom, and changed geopolitics around the world. But there are as many questions as answers, Gold writes-as with many revolutions, once change is set in motion, the results can be unexpected. What will the U.S. economy and its geopolitical strategy look like in ten years, and will we look back on the fracking boom with regret or relief? Featuring Russell Gold, Senior Energy Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal, Author, The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World; Steve LeVine, Washington Correspondent, Quartz, Future Tense Fellow, New America Foundation, Adjunct Professor, Energy Security, Georgetown University.