Grayce P. Storey
In 1951 “the largest natural gas field in the country and possibly in the world was the Hugoton field underlying the former Dust Bowl of southwestern Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle.”
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Major dry gas fields are also located in western Texas and the Gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana. In the past Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico were the largest producers of natural gas. There were some significant fields in the West Virginia-Ohio-Pennsylvania area.
Natural gas is found in all petroleum fields, both in the oil solution and as free gas trapped within the reservoir. In earlier years oil well drilling, vast amounts of gas were vented into the air. Eventually oil companies found its worth by pumping it back into depleted wells to increase pressure and keep the wells flowing and prolong their productive lives.
Stripped natural gas is remarkably economical and a high energy fuel. Its heat value is nearly twice as that of manufactured gas made from coal and cost less per cubic foot.