The development of shale gas and oil in the United States is growing exponentially, and that has been a blessing and a curse. Concerns about water and air pollution are well documented, and recently a lesser-known worry about the boom in shale energy — flaring — is making headlines.

In December 2012, NASA released satellite images of American oil and gas fields that light up the night skies as brightly as some metropolitan areas. Those bright lights make up part of the more than $100 million of natural gas “flared” industrywide each month — burned off into the air — according to a July 2013 report by sustainable business consultant