"Flares in Eagle Ford Shale Wasting Natural Gas"

"Oil and gas companies rushing to drill in the Eagle Ford Shale since 2009 have burned and wasted billions of cubic feet of natural gas — enough to meet the needs for an entire year of every San Antonio-area household that relies on the fossil fuel.

Faced with a pipeline shortage in rural South Texas, companies bleed off the gas into flares that release air pollutants and greenhouse gases in amounts that collectively rival the output of a half-dozen oil refineries.

Not even the state's top regulators at the Railroad Commission of Texas who oversee the oil and gas industry know how much gas is going to waste and polluting the air in the Eagle Ford Shale."

John Tedesco and Jennifer Hiller report for the San Antonia Express-News , St
in part 1 of the 4-part "Up in Flames" series August 21, 2014.

Part 2: "Flares Emitting More Pollution Than Refineries"

Part 3: "Top Flaring Sites Lacked State Oversight"

Part 4: "While the Gas Burns, Companies Explore Solutions"