Every schoolchild has heard of Thomas Alva Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and George Washington Carver. These three are among the most well-known inventors to Americans. However, there is one inventor who does not receive the credit he deserves for creating something truly revolutionary.
Meet the Father of Fracking â€" George Mitchell
George Mitchell is dead now, having died in 2013, but his legacy continues to revolutionize America’s practices and policies. Who is George Mitchell, you ask? What did he invent that matters to us?
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George Mitchell is the embodiment of the American Dream. His father was a poor Greek immigrant who operated a shoeshine shop in Galveston, Texas. George worked his way through Texas A&M University and ended up graduating at the top of his class in petroleum engineering. He eventually became a businessperson and philanthropist, giving generously to the city of Galveston and to various university research departments. He left a fortune of more than $2 billion when he died.
What is Fracking?
Undoubtedly you have heard of fracking. Energy officials, businesspeople, and environmentalists know all about fracking. It is the process of extracting natural gas from the shale rock layers deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Shale formations across the country hold enough natural gas to revolutionize our country’s energy situation. Though fracking produces hundreds of thousands of barrels of natural gas per day, it uses great quantities of water and chemicals, and may come with a hefty price tag of environmental, safety, and health hazards.
George Mitchell and Fracking
George Mitchell is thought of as the father of natural gas shale drilling, as he was the first to use hydraulic fracking to bring natural gas out of the Barnett shale field in Texas. Of course, inventors rarely invent something completely new and Mr. Mitchell is no exception. Inventors often build on the ideas and achievements of others through hard work, persistence, and a little extra ingenuity.
Fracking was first tried in the late 1940s and was researched by the Department of Energy in the 1970s. However, before Mr. Mitchell, it had not been used commercially to obtain natural gas from shale reserves. Mitchell, an expert geologist and his company Mitchell Energy drew wells for years without much success. With the gritty determination of an oil wildcatter and the gambler’s love of risk, he persevered in the face of defeat. Eventually, one of his wells proved that fracking could work and be financially viable. He became a rich and powerful Texas oilman, and the father of fracking. But, George was so much more than the stereotypical oilman.
George Mitchell â€" Innovator, Environmentalist and Believer in Regulation?
Humble and extremely generous, the man behind fracking, one of the most environmentally contentious topics of our time, may not have sided with environmentalists. He was also a member of the 1% who may have sided with liberals who believe in government regulation.
Mitchells’ charitable organization, The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation is devoted to supporting clean energy in Texas and has given to programs to study the scientific merit of sustainability. He was also the developer of The Woodlands, a planned community created in the 1970s. Its original plan called for protecting the environment and preserving trees.
In what may have been his last interview, in July of 2012, he told Christopher Helman of Forbes, “The administration is trying to tighten up controls. I think it’s a good idea. They should have very strict controls.†He was speaking about government controls on fracking.
As is the case with many individuals, especially those who gain great fame or wealth, they are a stew of contradictions. Mitchell was a believer in population control, yet had ten children. He believed and his foundation supports environmental concerns, yet he never invested in renewable energy. He was passionate about both fracking and sustainability, two seemingly incompatible ideas.
George Mitchell, an unknown inventor to most people, is responsible for what may be the most important innovation in world energy in the 20th and 21st centuries. Fracking is reshaping energy policies, attitudes, and battles. Like many inventors, his determination, grit, and belief in himself, gave the world something innovative and new. It is up to us to make the best of that innovation. Featured image from openclipart.org
Featured image from openclipart.org
