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Thanks for the link.

Let’s talk about the claim journalists CHRISS W. STREET made.

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Temporarily closing down production at a vertical oil well usually results in substantial “stoppage of the pores of the oil-bearing rock.” This reduces “bottomhole pressure” that force oil up through the well tube to the surface and limits the future production capability of the well. But since U.S. horizontal drilling injects water and solvents to free oil from shale and creates its own pressure to push oil up through a cement-lined casing to the surface, shale oil wells can be closed and reopened with virtually no future production capability lost.

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Chriss is confused. He first describes hydraulic fracturing that occurs before the well goes into production. That is the “injects water and solvents to free oil from shale”. This is done to create pathways for the oil/gas to flow out of the formation. It creates cracks and uses sand or other proppant to hold the cracks open.

Next “creates its own pressure to push oil up through a cement-lined casing to the surface” - False.

It does nothing to create or hold pressure. The fluid is pumped out prior to the well starting production. The extra pressure used to create the cracks is gone before production starts.

He doesn’t know what he is talking about. I’ll take the words of the Petroleum Engineering/Geologist over the journalist who read a few words about the industry but has no understanding of what is done.