The Eagle Ford shale
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
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
