Natural gas production from hydrocarbon-rich shale formation, known as "shale gas", is one of the most rapidly expanding trends in onshore domestic oil and gas exploration and production today. In some areas, this has included bringing drilling and production to regions of the country that have seen little or no activity in the past. New oil and gas developments bring changes to the environmental and socio-economic landscape, particularly in those areas where gas development is a new activity. With these changes have come questions about the nature of shale gas development, the potential environmental impacts, and the ability of the current regulatory structure to deal with this development. This book discusses geologic information on the shale gas basins in the U.S. and the methods of shale gas development, as well as the regulatory framework and the environmental considerations associated with shale gas development.