Scientific and technologic advances related to hydraulic fracturing have dramatically increased the supply of U.S. oil and gas; because of this, a methane economy – in which natural gas provides the leading share of primary energy consumption – is now a possible scenario for U.S. energy development.

The discovery of hundreds of methane seeps on the seafloor along the U.S. East Coast suggests that hydrocarbon reservoirs may be more common along passive margins than previously thought. The release of such methane globally may have a significant influence on climate, scientists say.