Abstract: Remaining Rocky Mountain Natural Gas Resources: Quantity, Location and Price Expectations

CURTIS, JOHN B. and MICHAEL K. DECKER

Projections by gas industry research organizations and trade associations indicate that United States gas consumption will increase into the early part of the next century by up to 40%, from the current 21.6 trillion cubic feet to in excess of 29 trillion cubic feet per year by 2015. The Rocky Mountain region contains the largest remaining potential gas resource, outside of the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions of the country.

A comparison is made of the gas resource estimates of the Potential Gas Committee for the Rocky Mountain region for the time period 1986 - 1996. The comparison is for 16 geologic provinces in the region. Coalbed methane resource estimates are also examined for the time period 1988-1996. Additionally, Rocky Mountain estimates from the 1995 U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment, and the 1997 Gas Research Institute Baseline Projection are considered to derive a range of estimates for the region. Gas price projections by the American Gas Association and Gas Research Institute are examined in light of 1) gas price differentials with other Lower 48 producing regions and 2) the effects of pipeline capacity constraints to other market regions.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90946©1997 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Denver, Colorado