Father of Shale Fracking George Mitchell Dies at Age 94

|

On Friday, the father of modern-day shale fracking and Texas billionaire oilman George Mitchell died. More than any other person, Mitchell is responsible for the current shale drilling revolution that has changed America’s (and the world’s) energy picture. It was Mitchell who kept experimenting, with his own money, on shale drilling until he finally “cracked” the secret in the Barnett Shale in Texas in the 1990s.

In 2012, Mitchell went a little wobbly and called for federal regulation of fracking, a position we heartily disagreed with (see Father of Shale Fracking George Mitchell Talks to Forbes). However, Mitchell was a giant in the industry, and we pay our respects to him and his family. This world would be a poorer place were it not for George Mitchell and his persistence in figuring out how to frack shale. So we send him on to that great gusher in the sky…

Please Login to view this content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
You do not have permission to view the comments.