US gas surge coming from oil patch
Associated gas from legacy oil basins could offer a new lease of life to wobbling shale gas production and cement US powerhouse status
The face of the US gas sector is changing. While data from the US Department of Energy (DOE) finds that gas production from shale and tight formations may be on pace for its first annual decline in nearly a quarter century, associated gas in legacy oil basins could inject new growth for both domestic use and export. The country’s globally dominant and strategic role could have a durable legacy that goes beyond shifting political sands and changes in the upstream landscape. Since 2011, the US has been the world’s largest natural gas producer, surpassing Russia, with its exporting role taking on even greater significance from 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine upended global commoditie
Also in this section
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
3 March 2026
The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in US–Israeli strikes marks the most serious escalation in the region in decades and a bigger potential threat to the oil market than the start of the Russia-Ukraine crisis






