What is Natural Gas?

    Natural gas, the first cousin to crude oil, is a combustible fossil fuel often found in underground reservoirs and comprised of methane and other hydrocarbon compounds such as propane, butane, ethane, and pentane. It is unlike the gas that we power our cars with, because it is shapeless just like a gas such as oxygen. Natural gas in its pure form when it is just extracted is odorless but Mercaptan is added to the gas in order to detect leaks when it is being used.
     As of 2010, the world's reserves of natural gas was estimated to be able to last 58.6 years if we continue at the current rate of consumption. However, the US has seen an increase in natural gas consumption by 5.6 percent and the worldwide consumption has risen 7.4 percent. Natural gas is a fossil fuel just like oil, and it can only last for a certain amount of time, so it is important to conserve the amount that we use in our daily lives.
    The Middle East and Soviet Union areas contain about 72 percent of the world's natural gas reserves and North America contains the least amount.
However, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, natural gas is primarily a domestic energy resource. In 2008, net imports constituted only 13 percent of total US natural gas consumption.