The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) methane-hydrate program is making a giant leap forward in 2015 with a new field test. But, why should we care about methane hydrates? First, the world will continue to depend on fossil fuels well past 2040 and natural gas is the cleanest option. Second, some countries that do not have sufficient indigenous energy have potentially large methane hydrate resources. Finally, methane hydrates occur in low concentrations over vast areas of the seafloor and shallow subsea sediments around the world, including the Arctic. If these areas warm, the hydrates could dissociate, releasing methane.