A report released this week by the North Texas Association for Natural Gas highlights how fracking in the Barnett Shale, a rich gas-producing region in North Texas, became the birthplace of modern hydraulic fracturing and triggered a worldwide shift in energy production and strategy.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of using a high-pressure mixture of water to release natural gas or oil from rock formations—unlocking reserves that were previously economically inaccessible.

The report titled “An Energy Revolution: 35 Years of Fracking in the Barnett Shale” links the pioneering work of entrepreneur George Mitchell, beginning in 1981 at the “C.W Slay #1” well near Newark in Wise County, to the economic and energy security benefits now enjoyed by residents of Texas and across the United States. Mitchell’s company, Mitchell Energy, was the first to discover the key to unlocking shale formations, revealing the vast quantities of oil and natural gas resources hidden beneath U.S. soil.

“America is in the midst of an energy revolution,” the report states. “Few experts foresaw the transformation that was coming—made possible by the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling, which allowed oil and natural gas to be extracted from shale rock formations.”

The report highlights that today, nearly two-thirds of U.S. natural gas production comes from fracking. It also notes that if Texas were a country, it would rank as the second-largest natural gas producer in the world, and among OPEC nations, only Saudi Arabia produces more oil than Texas.