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Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens
Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens released this photo saying it shows a hydraulic fracturing drill site in the Pavillion/Muddy Ridge gas field. The group said it was taken from the porch of its chairman, John Fenton.
A controversial method of drilling for oil and natural gas appears to be the cause of groundwater pollution in a central Wyoming town, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.
The EPA last month said it had found compounds associated with chemicals used in the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the groundwater beneath Pavillion. Many residents say their well water has reeked of chemicals since the drilling began there and first complained to the EPA in 2008.
But until Thursday, the EPA said it could not speculate on where the contaminants came from.
In the draft report (.pdf) released Thursday, the EPA said that "the explanation best fitting the data ... is that constituents associated with hydraulic fracturing have been released into the Wind River drinking water aquifer."
Health officials had earlier advised residents not to drink their water after the EPA said it had found benzene and other hydrocarbons in wells it tested.
The process pumps pressurized water, sand and chemicals underground to open fissures and improve the flow of oil or gas.
The EPA emphasized that the findings are specific to the Pavillion area, noting that the specific type of fracking used there differed from fracking methods used elsewhere in regions with different geological characteristics.
The fracking occurred below the level of the drinking water aquifer and close to water wells, the EPA said. Elsewhere, drilling is more remote and fracking occurs much deeper than the level of groundwater that anybody would use.
The EPA is separately working on a national study of fracking.
Doug Hock, a spokesman for EnCana Corp., which owns rights to the Pavillion-area field, slammed the draft report. "The synthetic chemicals could just have easily come from contamination when the EPA did their sampling, or from how they constructed their monitoring wells."
Pavillion residents who organized to seek the tests welcomed the report.
"We are grateful to the EPA for listening to our concerns and acting on them," said John Fenton, chair of Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens.
Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens
Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens provided this photo of the home of John and Katherine Fenton. It said the haze was from fracking fluids vaporized in the drilling process and that it lasted for about 10 minutes. Similar releases happened a dozen times over 3 days, it added.
"This investigation proves the importance of having a federal agency that can protect people and the environment," added Fenton, whose home is across from one drill site. "We hope that answers to our on-going health problems and other impacts can now be addressed and that the responsible parties will finally be required to remediate the damages."
The industry contends that fracking is safe and its supporters were quick to blast the EPA.
"EPA's conclusions are not based on sound science but rather on political science," Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla, said in a statement. "Its findings are premature, given that the agency has not gone through the necessary peer-review process, and there are still serious outstanding questions regarding EPA's data and methodology."
"This announcement is part of President Obama's war on fossil fuels and his determination to shut down natural gas production," added Inhofe, the senior Republican on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Fracking has opened up areas that were previously considered too costly to drill. The most promising include the Marcellus Shale formation in the Northeast.
Development of the new shale deposits over the last few years has provided the United States with a century's worth of natural gas supply.
Pa. town near fracking fights to get bottled water back
In Pennsylvania, production from the Marcellus has led to an energy boom that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is keen to replicate by lifting an existing moratorium on using the fracking process.
But hearings on that proposal have been contentious.
At the last hearing last month, protesters gathered in downtown Manhattan to express concern about the safety of water supplies, holding signs saying "Governor Cuomo, don't frack it up" and "Don't frack with New York."
"We have to be literally insane to contemplate fracking," state Sen. Tony Avella told reporters outside the hearings. "Wake up Governor Cuomo, this is not going to provide jobs or revenue, but what it will do is poison the water supply for 17 million New Yorkers."
This article includes reporting by msnbc.com's Miguel Llanos, The Associated Press and Reuters.
Read more content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
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We don't need no stinking water. Drill away! Money is much more important!
Senator Inhofe has built his career supporting 'evidence' against climate science and for fracking, coal and oil - none of which has ever seen the light of a peer review.
Now he wants peer review? Great - let's start with his List Of Experts.
Just remember kiddies, we are not allowed to question anything that can stand in the way of making money. I always thought of the EPA (like them or not) as a scientific agency per say, but I guess I was wrong.
As I've stated in the past, I've worked for an environmental consultant for 11 years and my direct reports have worked on job sites in the Marcellus Shale region of PA.
There's no doubt fracking activities are capable of ruining an aquifer. If this wasnt the case, they wouldnt give my company 100s of thousands a year to go out and sample everyone's water.
Rock fracking is anyone's guess as to what is going to happen once they begin, even the top paid geologists'. Fractures (tiny cracks from the width of a hair to several feet in which water runs through) in rocks run vertical, horizontal, etc. So it should be no big surprise to someone that if you're pumping a whole slurry of toxic chemicals into the ground at high pressures, they are eventually going to "daylight" into a confined aquifer used for drinking water wells. It's not rocket science. Many of these homes are in pristine locations throughout the country, otherwise free from residual impacts from industry.
And Imhofe claiming "political science"?? That's the pot calling the kettle black. He is the epitomy of a big oil shrill that recieves more oil lobbyist money that anyone else.
Years from now.....people will look back in disdain/amusement, as to how we ran the political system in this country.
Nothing based on science yet. A lot of "perhaps" and "possibly". So lets wait before everybody comes to some non-qualified conclusion.
And, don't let's forget that this is supposedly specific to this area's way of fracking. Again, let's wait what the facts and verdicts are before all those uneducated guesses come along making idiotic statements!
All I heard is that they eliminated pretty much all the other causes, and when the fracking chemicals start going into the ground, and afterward polluted water containing the same fracking chemicals start coming out...does it really take a scientist to figure this out? Or is our educational system that bad?
I love when people who aren't scientists tell scientists their wrong. WTF!!! Mabe we all should have the right to light our drinking water on fir , just sayin' LOL
Most fracking is done at depths far below the aquifers used for drinking water. Many of the complaints that fracking has tainted wells are just pure folly because the fracking was done literally thousands of feet deeper than the aquifer and there is no way that any contamination could occur. People need to read a little before they start making blanket statements regarding fracking. It is better to be informed and know what you are talking about than run your mouth spouting political talking points and look like a fool. And for the record, I have no connection at all to the energy/fracking industry.
So how do you reckon fracking chemicals ended up there after the fracking started?
@ JS in SD,
Well you know what, I wouldnt call yourself "informed", either.
It's called short-circuiting. The pressurized slurry in tight formations will short circuit up the exterior of the steel casing they are using to "screen off" the shallow aquifers, and shoot out into a fracture network once it reaches it.
But I'm just a geologist so what the hell do I know!!!
NewsFlash: The good employment numbers imply that the Obama Economic Policies are "working" so good that he doesn't need to extend Unemployment benefits and the employee "Tax Cuts" that will bankrupt the Social Security Funds and cause more taxpayer debt .......because everyone will be back at work soon on the Canadian Pipeline!!!
Ruken, shut your mouth or you might look like a fool. No where in the article it states that this investigation started in 2008 after complaints to the EPA by residents and no where the article did it state that the EPA found "fracking" chemicals in the water. It however stated in the article that the EPA was not sure and had no idea where the chemicals might come from(tongue pressed firmly against cheek). So yeah, listen to JS in SD or else.
Note, this was an attempt at sarcasm and no Viners were physically hurt, but feelings might have gotten bruised.
just another obama conspiracy on his ongoing war on fossil fuels. We should be focusing on obamas purposeful destruction of this country instead of demonizing anything that will help the country be independent of foreign oil. Sometimes i really believe that obama is much worse for this country than Osama bin Laden.
JS--
What are some sources that show this?
We are destroying all of our aquifers by puncturing them with tens of
thousands of oil and gas drill shafts.
The oil and gas industry will tell you that they cement these shafts once the
wells run dry.
But guess what? Cement deteriorates over time and so eventually 50, 100, 200
years from now all of those "plugged" holes are going to start to leak back
into the pierced aquifiers. And then all of our aquifers will become
contaminated with oil and gas and made undrinkable.
We need to stop all of this fracking and drilling.
We have energy technologies that are 100% environmentally safe.
And we need to put all of our efforts into moving forward on these energy
technologies of the future before it is too late.
.
@killlerteam
I have one family member and three friends in NYC that day (9/11) and 3000+ grieving families that would disagree with you. It's one thing to hate the President and his politics, but it is down right callous and disgusting of you to even use that statement as a comparison.
Here's is a good article on fracking which includes video's of people being able to light water from their faucet on fire:http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/02/fracking/index.html
Back in the 1800's most wells were little more than 100 feet deep. Now we
drill high-pressure wells that are thousands of feet deep. And the oil and
gas are under tremendous pressure and can cause injection into any of the
overlying strata layers including water aquifers at any depth.
No amount of casing and no amount of cement will prevent the eventually
leakage of oil and gas into these aquifers that have been pierced by oil and
gas drill shafts. Casing rusts away over time. Cement breaks down and
crumbles over time.
We can just water the plants with oil.
If your water's not flammable, quityerbitchin.....
If I knew someone was fracking in my drinking water I would be upset also. It's bad enough people pee in the public pools. Now we have all these frackers out fracking things up.
@ killertea- ummm speaking about conspiracies , why don't you give it a rest? The shrill "drill,baby, drill!" mantra needs to end soon. I'd rather have clean water before cheap energy any day.
I personally support fracking
...it's nice to have water that I can also use to power my lawnmower or car
Merry, ok, I'd rather have clean water than cheap energy too. So let's just stop all drilling and just live off the existing wells we already have. Within 1 year, oil prices will be $300/bbl and it would cost you $250 to fill your tank. Maybe you can afford that, but there are many people that would not be able to put food on the table if that is the case. Due to technology improvements, oil wells are capable of producing at rates 3-4 times what they could produce 30 years ago. Good news for oil prices, bad news if we stop drilling. Oil wells start producing at a given rate and then start declining until they quit. They decline very rapidly today. No drilling, bad problem. So, what is your solution to this issue?
Will science win the day or will the greedy politicos and their corporate sponsors regroup to destroy the environment for the sake of a profit?
When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
~ Cree Prophecy
gdvegas -
How about we wait until the independent research proves fracking is safe? Until then their claims that it is safe, are "unproven science". The burden of proof should be on those whose activities are in question, since they can't really undo the damage once it is done.
For Christ Sakes peoples water faucets were catching on fire. I didn't know water could light on fire.
F-n GOP money over country, people, babies and anything else that gets in the way.
Legally pay off the politicians and get any answer to what you asked for.
You want them to say science is BS, you got it R/D science is BS.
Anything else you want me to say as i hold my hand out for money?
bill k,
Fear mongering....$300/bbl, declining reserves, $250 to fill your tank, flying monkeys.....wtf? Bill calm down, did you ever think that using everyone else's oil is a good idea before we use all of ours? We have a thing called the strategic reserve just for worst case scenarios. Additionally we aren't importing our oil from the ME so much as Canada. The head of Shell Canada has been quoted as saying they have under estimated their oil reserves and in actuality have 3 trillion bbl reserve (8 times the total of Saudi Arabia), so the need to pollute our water because Bill bought into chicken little saying "the sky is falling" is quite sad.
Mikey Mike, "But at least they stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night!"
We should allow C Corporations to police and regulate themselves. I mean look at the wonderful jobs that Massey Energy, and BP did.
Gee, the media and oil industry could only hide the Fracking crap for 30 years - it will be another 30 years of conservatives saying it is all BS.
what thread starts out with post #85....lol.
Oh for the love of Christ. Do you ever actually read the drivel that you type? There are countless Democrats that also support fracking....just like there are many Republicans who dont support it.
Yeah yeah yeah, I get it. Republicans are evil. Damn that gets old.
MikeyMike
When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
~ Cree Prophecy
Worth reposting Mike thanks
Fracking and bad water is not NEW news. Yet the oil companies are spending big bucks. On T.V. ads telling us how safe it is. And how they are going to protect the Good ol USA once again.
Wait until the gas bandits start drilling in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. The rest of country will purchase their wine elsewhere!
If all of you that hate oil, natural gas and all things associated with using them,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,would stop using them. Imagine how much we could save.
Stop beings hypocrites, live your life like you run your mouth.
We don't need no stinkin' EPA and no stinkin' regulations cuz we got stinkin' air and stinkin' water, and stinkin' land, and stinkin' fish, and oh yeah................ stinkin' politicians like Inhofe.
The EPA and this administration trying to justify the continued existance of the Federal EPA. These or the environmentalist could easily have fixed the tests. I don't trust anything coming out of this administration or any of its agencies.
Fracking supposedly takes place below the aquifer.
Live to Ride
Grew up there fella. There has always been natural gas bubbling up through creeks, well at least for the last 50 years. We use to go light it over the water with lighters. So, save that arguement.
People actually vote for the Republican Misfits because they are misfits themselves
I wonder why they call Common Sense Common sense since it really is not that Common, I can see people that live in the woods not being able to conclude the damage that Fracking can cause but really why would people be surprised, So it's OK to cause this kind of damage just for the sake of the Mighty Dollar .... What a joke ....
No @!$%# really---causing cracks under ground while searching and digging for oil can damage our water---Wow What a Concept. Wonder did the CEO of the Oil corp graduate HS or is he/she just an idiot by nature!
Sorry folks but we can live without oil, yet we CANNOT live without food and clean water!
So what you seem to be saying is that domestic oil production is only expended in the USA, not part of the world oil market? Because if it is sold on the world market, it's not a significant enough quantity to make a damn bit of difference; except of course to the CEOs of the Oil Companies and the speculators.
It's Obama's fault. Get rid of the EPA. I, for one, think it would be very cool if I could light my water on fire.
It's comforting knowing that "in-the-pocket-of-big-oil" politicians like Imahuffer can still ward off facts by sticking their fingers in their ears, hopping up and down and screaming, "I disbelieve!"
Yeah... I guess straight line relationships are too difficult to decipher. The fracking in Pennsylvania that's occurring and all of the issues that people there are having are just phantom issues too.
Wake up and smell the natural gas, people. :p
Let's poison the water and air even more. Let's stay at war until the youth of the nation is gone. Let's do away with all regulation and live in a Ayn Rand world with King Narcissist.
Vote for Progressives only!
The band Tower of Power predicted this problem in 1968
The more things change the more they stay the same.
There's Only So Much Oil On The Ground:
There's only so much oil on the ground
Sooner or later there won't be much around
Tell that to your kids while you driving downtown
That there's only so much oil on the ground
Can't cut loose without that juice
Can't cut loose without that juice
If we keep on like we doing things for sure
Will not be cool - It's a fact
We just ai't got suffiecient fuel
There's only so much oil in the ground
Sooner or later there won't be none around
Alternate sources of power must be found
Cause there's only so much oil in the ground
There's only so much oil in the earth
It's a fact of life - for what it's worth
Something every little boy and girl should know since birth
That there's only so much oil in the ground
There's no excuse for our abuse
No excuse for our abuse
We just assume that we will not
Exceed the oil supply
But soon enough the world will watch the wells run dry.
I'm shaking my head at "Shaking my Head". I took the time to go to the link and read the report. It has lots of big words you may not understand though and won't like anyway. I worked in the environmental analysis industry for over 25 years and have worked with and around about half of the people listed as contributors to the EPA report. They come from all types of backgrounds and like any group have conservative and liberal views. One think I can say they have in common is they are all good scientists who don't let opinions get in the way of the science. They let the facts and data do the talking.
"Wake up Governor Cuomo, this is not going to provide jobs or revenue, but what it will do is poison the water supply for 17 million New Yorkers."
I thought that NY City gets its water from the Hudson River.
akgirl-846983 "Here's is a good article on fracking which includes video's of people being able to light water from their faucet on fire"
Hook it up to the fireplace - free heat for the Winter.
lol
It's obvious that there need to be some common sense rules for 'Fracking', but that doesn't mean it should be outlawed. Unfortunately, under the current Administration, the EPA is being used to shut down our economy and rely entirely on foreign sources for energy.
I thought 'wealth redistribution' was to transfer wealth from the 'rich' to the 'poor', not to transfer it from the United States to Iran and Venezuela.
I call it Wyoming's karma for subjecting us to Dick Cheney.
Roy, Have you seen and smelled the Hudson lately?
We're not going to stop fracking for a while. This town's water is screwed. Do what has to happen to make it right for the locals and figure out how how to prevent it everywhere else... and quit wasting our and the town's time with denials.
Relax, It is CONOCO-PHILIPS bringing you cleaner, lower pollution, natural gas in your stoves, heaters, and now at no additional charge to your faucets.
Wake up ! The only way it will stop is when it affects the flavor of the Tea Party's Kool-aid.
Fracking will continue indefinitly. Sad truth is, if you 100% dissaprove of it, sell your car. We all know thats not going to happen. I've worked in this patch numerous times. Until we get on the green train, we are just going to have to live with it. History tells us that a million studies can be done, billions of dollars can be spent on them, and the fracking will simply never stop.
United States, referencing your post 1.17, the implications of what you write are chilling when we consider the thousands of shafts that penetrate the ocean floor! The BP fiasco will pale in comparison, have we killed our oceans?
How come when someone has a point of view contrary to the left, they are 'blasting' or 'slamming' the report or individual? When someone whose opinion lines up with MSN's practices their right to free speech, they are merely expressing their concern or stating their opinion. I'm not an expert on the fracking process and it appears that a natural resource may have been damaged, but the inconsistency of journalistic integrity on this site is astounding.
No. The level of well funded propaganda from the oil and gas industry and its paid sycophants like Sen Inhofe is overwhelming.
I love issues like these. They just continue to prove what I've always known.
The side that is for something will spin the truth to "prove" their side is right. The side that is against that same something will spin the truth to "prove" their side is right. Neither side is really interested in the REAL truth, which usually lies somewhere in the middle. Each side just wants to be right and prove their opponents wrong.
While there are few rational comments on here, most of you don't have a clue what you're talking about. You merely parrot the same bs that your political/ideological sides support. No thinking is required. Just keep spouting the stuff you believe.
If the average person had a brain, they'd take it out and play with it...and most of you prove that beyond the shadow of a doubt. Grow up children.
calm.........,
So it's more important what adjectives are used instead of the meat of the story? This site plays to it's constituents, just like every other news source.
Kryss
"JS--
What are some sources that show this?"
If you read the article and believe the whole thing, then it is a source saying that this one spot is different than others.
There are risks with everything. People don't want to import oil but they don't want to produce it here either. Regardless of whether America exploits this resource or not, Canada is doing it and it is the same ground water. We get a lot of our oil from Canada. Ah, more imports. That is the way to help the economy.
Ah, you say solar and wind power is the answer but all of it combined doesn't produce anywhere near the energy that would be produced thru a single pipe from Canada to Texas that Obama is blocking.
Solar and wind power can't support themselves and require huge taxpayer subsidies to break even.
Best we can all do is go back to the 18th century so we can save the environment.
More and more water is being contaminated as a result of fracking. Note the information on fracking coming from the industry, how safe and wonderful it is. They also mention how necessary energy is. Listening to the industry I'm reminded of the cigarette ads, remember, those ads stating how good smoking was. Then you had a bit of the DDT, remember how whole towns sprayed everything, and the promotional film clips showed people in swimming pools being sprayed by DDT, laughing and having a great time..
I heard a more recent story about the article now online here. They stated that benzene and tolulene was found in the water, two less than wonderful chemicals to be drinking, and told the town to not drink their water. Fracking is dangerous, I don't care who all in the industry is standing around claiming the opposite, when you get the chemicals in the drinking water its rather hard to remove them and I for one am not anxious to drink dry cleaning chemicals.
First I want to make one point very Clear. Fracking CAN cause water problems.
Good - That said, I am very disappointed with self-identified investigator. Thanks a lot – you gave us NOTHING to go on, and only threw around more suspicion based on and observation that really doesn’t indicate much other than a company trying to keep from losing law suits because there is no established base line of contaminant levels.
What has been happening is that environmental groups and surprisingly some energy investors (especially a certain Billionaire who supports Obama) are inundating the news media with
half facts causing people to notice their water for the first time. So, when they find out they are close to one of these marcellus wells, they go get their water tested and find out OMG! I’ve
got pollutants in my water. Then they haul the driller into court. When the resulting investigation is done, usually, but not always the case gets dismissed. What the driller does is find tests done by people before drilling started show no appreciable difference from what the accuser has provided post drilling. If there are no tests, the driller will lose –that Iwhy the Drillers are doing the testing. They have no choice to do so or lose their shirts to accusers.
There are plenty of cases for shallow gas well fracking causing damage to the ground water. These wells
are around 1500 feet and shallower. Water wells are normally less than 350’ and average around 100’ (average depth is increasing over time). Fracking is supposed to only be done strong enough to fracture within a few hundred feet diameter of the well – not even close to the thousands of feet that would be required to ruin someones water. I know – I studied the process because I have property in the Marcellus shale area. I wanted to know the truth – I could use the money if they wanted to drill - but not if it would risk my family in the future, should we move to that location.
Marcellous wells are 6000 – 7000 feet below the surface. You cannot say that the fracking process cannot damage surface water, but the possibility is minute and only will occur should the driller use excessive charges or not place them properly.
Indeed the process can contaminate water supplies at the surface – but only if they damage the well caisson, near the surface, aren’t capturing the fluids they pump out, have an accident of spilling fluids OR
simply do not properly treat used fluids before releasing them into our environment. These have occurred. A couple ruptures in Texas, and a number of states where drillers were just releasing the fluids directly into our streams. Such practices have been outlawed.
Mygirl
I grew up in western PA. Look up the Bruin Lagoon - that mess & it still is a mess is about 6 miles from where I grew up.
Benzene and Toluene are much more prevelant in coal and petroleum than natural gas. My dad inherited as stripper well, so I know quite a bit from first hand experience. You are a lot safer sticking your hand in a gallon of sweet light crude, than in a gallon of gasoline. I wouldn't do either - and the additives the EPA wants industry to use - with that stuff ONE drop poisons 1000 gallons of water. Using that stuff in gasoline in higher amounts increases the incidence of Allergies and asthma. BTW industry stopped using this disaster because they got sued over it by people who knew what the stuff was doing to people.
Western large portions of western Pennsylvania have either coal or a coal mine below the surface. Because the of the abundant presence of coal, Methane, benzine, toluene, sulfur, iron, radon, and sulfuric acid are pretty common in the well water. I was visiting my elderly parents at thanksgiving. Mom was complaining about an odor in the hot water - it's either a change in the chemicals used to filter the water or she is getting methane from the well water. There is no active oil well, gas well, or mining near their home.
This article is minus a huge amount of facts.
Btw, if you are really worried about it, a good water filter will remove VOC's from drinking water.
@DB
can't say your choice of argument draws many to your view of fracking, but thanks for the talking points in regard to the water of Pennsylvania. As for your mention of the EPA's relationship to a toxic gasoline-cocktail - here's a link that illustrates where that stands with big auto and big oil,
sfrcorp.com/automakers-oil-industry-in-fuel-fight/
That's a true statement, but aquifers can also be restored.
We need oil and gas, we need clean water even more, and we can have BOTH.
Sensible regulations to govern fracking are required, and the responsibility to restore groundwater quality must be shouldered squarely by the companies that produuce the oil and gas we need for modern life. It is more economical to PREVENT contamination of groundwater than to clean up the mess afterward, but both are reasonably practicable goals.
It is not impossible, we are doing it every day.
commonsense....
"That's a true statement, but aquifers can also be restored.
We need oil and gas, we need clean water even more, and we can have BOTH.
Sensible regulations to govern fracking are required, and the responsibility to restore groundwater quality must be shouldered squarely by the companies that produuce the oil and gas we need for modern life. It is more economical to PREVENT contamination of groundwater than to clean up the mess afterward, but both are reasonably practicable goals.
It is not impossible, we are doing it every day."
You do know that regardless of what any company does, including the mistakes, the consumer always pays the bill, right?
Bob—
The article also says
The EPA is separately working on a national study of fracking.
Regarding green energy, according to Forbes,
Investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and smart-energy technologies “almost certainly” surpassed the $1 trillion milestone in the last two weeks of November, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Much of this is in China, I understand. But it's being done.
Somehow, I doubt they will lose their shirts. But that being said, if drillers are being environmentally sound in their practice, baseline testing occurs before drilling is allowed in order to provide clear data supporting or disproving damage to wells, aquifers, and water supplies in ALL cases. If this is not done by drilling companies, environmental groups, and/or local agencies responsible for water quality standards, any findings of fracturing process chemicals in the water should fall upon drillers, who ultimately profit regardless of payouts.
There are plenty of examples of baseline studies before fracking begins to be found by Googling "Baseline water tests before facturing wells", so there really is no excuse not to do so to prevent law suits, and even more importantly, to protect the environment.
Very good post, DB Akron, other than throwing in politics regarding a certain allegation regarding a certain supporter of the current president! I hope I have done as well at keeping it real! And hopefully your water supply does not fall into the category of being polluted by fracturing for gas or any other reason.
Thanks for an otherwise intelligent statement to consider! No one would be against recovering energy sources if the destruction long term was more pronounced than the gain short term.
We just cannot keep destroying our ever-decreasing sources of clean water indiscriminately, be it for profit or not. There is no need to speed up the time when the Water Wars occur...
;-)
Peace
Since nobody would use ground water at this level lets go ahead and pollute it. What a sad statement.
Until 'the lobbies' purchase the agency executives and halliburton (and the rest of them) gets to roam freely about the geological strata.
i think all liberal democrats should be forced to give up their cars and anything that runs on gas. Since they dont like coal and nuclear, give up their electricity. Then they can collect cow fart gas to power their cars for all i care, because they are so ignorant its not funny. If we let liberals run everything, we would be a muslim nation under sharia law by now.... we almost are now with barack hussein obama, and i did not give him that name, that is what he is.
Isn't the EPA supposed to check on these things before things get out of hand? I know they are very good at fining everyone...yet doing nothing other than collecting money. The only thing this does is make more money for the EPA (I am sure it supposedly goes to some good cause???), especially the higher the fine...and of course, if the company paying the fine is so rich it can easily throw money at the EPA, what good does it do get things cleaned up?
If communities are going to poison their own water at the very least the rest of the country needs to know what food they are growing with contaminated water. I don't eat Southern fish or anything made in China. In fact I don't cook or brush my teeth with any products made in China.
I don't want food that was watered with Benzene.
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp
As I read this article I kept thinking how many times the EPA has misled the public and/or outright lied to try and influence the public in some of their far-left attempts to get people to do what environmentalists want them to do. Personally, I need proof of anything they say. Their word means absolutely nothing because of past lack of accurate performance.
Yes, but at what cost and to whom? This is the funny thing that never gets taken into account. Back before there was the EPA, many industries, particularly the steel mills and petrochemical companies were dumping their waste products into any pond or creek that happened to be out back of their property. They made billions in profits, then shut down, leaving toxic waste sites like the infamous "Love Canal" all over the country. Guess who paid for the cleanup? Yeah, you and me, the taxpayers.
If you think the same thing isn't going to repeat itself with this fracking mess, but at 100 times the long term cost, I've got a bridge in New York to sell you.
getalifevirginia-892326--
Can you name a few of the best examples (EPA lying)?
How about we make Inhofe drink their water ...then comment on it.
Sounds like a plan.
Inhofe could use a fracking enema also. That jackweed has been so full of it for so long, he's absolutely incapable of opening his mouth without having anything but a ton of pure crap spew forth.
How dare you question a member of the highly respected United States Senate?!!! Just because the Senator (R) from OK is looking at plenty of moola continuing to come his way and just because he is a member of that highly respected Grand Ol' Party, who was taught to not tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth doesn't mean you have to disrespect him!!!
BTW, how much of that water do you think he can drink without having to pee???
Mo' money!!!!
When in doubt, people's health concerns should come first. It disgusts me every time I see one of the commercials from the oil, gas and coal companies claiming that shutting down their operations for environmental concerns will cost jobs. How about peoples LIVES!!!
Yeah you wouldn't think they would need full-blow propaganda campaigns if the industry was so good for us all.
Agreed ... if our public servants declare that something is safe for ingestion, have them eat or drink it (a Japanese official just did this with water to show it's safe to drink). If our public servants say a procedure is not torture, have them publicly undergo the procedure to prove it.
Sen. James Inhofe, R- you drink the water for ten 10 years, as a matter of fact have your whole family drink the F-n water for 10 years and let me know how that turns out for your family.
Solutions, it's okay to spell out "fracking". We won't shun you.
Lol drink the Frackin water lmao when put that way it, is, well still not funny. Darn
From the industry "99.5% of fracking fluid is sand and water."
I'll assume that is by weight not by volume. So then what is the other 0.5% by weight composed of? Industry says it's a trade secret. I find that hard to believe. I rather think they do not want the public to panic if they were required to say what it is.
Who voted for that ahole, Inhole, oops I meant Inhofe.
Before long we won't even be able to collect rain water for drinking either
http://www.naturalnews.com/029286_rainwater_collection_water.html
or grow our own food............
http://74.86.203.132/bill/111-s510/text
James-546195-1049965
"How about we make Inhofe drink their water ...then comment on it."
I will drink it like I do any water I drink, after I filter it. I don't care where it comes from. A good filter makes even the best tap water better.
GypsyTrixz
"Before long we won't even be able to collect rain water for drinking either
http://www.naturalnews.com/029286_rainwater_collection_water.html
or grow our own food............"
Do you do either now?
Inhofe is an idiot, but we can extract oil and gas without contaminating drinking water (preferred), and we can cleanup drinking water when it becomes contaminated (more expensive, but eminently do-able).
What is frigging wrong with fracking? The friggen frackers, are just doing their jobs and getting us oil.... The Frigging bitching about fracking is fugging crazy. I think that is a great shovel ready job that the friggen fracker obama should endorse.
That's not going to happen he probably has several houses in liberal areas where water is protected.
Senator James Inhofe, one of the greatest scientists of the 21st century. Let's see, the water wasn't polluted before fracking, hmm, must be Obama's fault.
As a no-nothing armchair geologist, I could have foreseen this a mile a way. And yet as a know-nothing armchair geologist, I am probably more qualified to speak about this than Senator James Inhofe is.
There is only one solution. Give him the water to drink. If it's baseless it ought to be refreshing to have every day.
And just think, there are candidates calling for less environmental regulations.
But hey, the polluted water must be another Democrat conspiracy.
Ruken, yep, just like the EPA apparently is the root of our economic woes.
When in doubt, lean to protect the health of the public--unless you're a Republican, in which case you jump to protect big industry profits. They need a pile of evidence (bodies) before they can act...if even then. Welcome to the beginning of the energy crunch.
Wait a second....
I though the GOP was for the everyday man...You know, like how they destroy unions/worker rights, outsource manufacturing, rip apart OSHA and environmental protection laws, fight against tax breaks for the MIDDLE class, etc.
I dont see why anyone wouldnt vote for them?
The Tea Party loves to hide it's true motives under a veil of religious hypocrisy. That's bound to blind a few people.
When did 'conservative' come to mean conserving corporate profits over protecting and conserving the very environment in which we live?
I guess they feel, at this time that oil is more necessary than water, go figure. Wow!
I love how there are so many people who are shocked that when we pump soluble chemicals into the ground, those chemicals come back out of the ground. It's a mystery!
Well the gas industry does go on and on about how safe it is. That's all we hear from them even though they don't really have any evidence to back it up. Here in Morgantown, WV they sneaked a well site in right across the river from our drinking water plant and gave the public no notice. Just one day-BAM! A fracking site right by our drinking water. When the people of Morgantown tried to stop it Chesapeake Atlantic sued the city and threw a tantrum and took back a donation that they had already pledged to a local grade school. I guess they really do believe in what's best for the community.
Also, people do not look to your politicians for help on this. These companies ply them with campaign money. Our Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has done everything he can to delay even the slightest regulation of the gas industry. The people of WV have been asking for action and we still have had none. In West Virginia if you question big energy companies you automatically get labeled an "activist" by their supporters and dismissed as a quack.
The truth is these methods are new and they have no clue what these sites will be like in 50 years. 100 years. There are coal mines that have been on fire underground for decades and acid drainage from abandoned 1950's coal mines can still clearly be seen oozing into streams to this day. Yet all we ever hear about is how great it all is for us. Meanwhile, West Virginia remains one of the poorest, most obese and least educated populations in the country. Where is this windfall of energy money we are all supposed to benefit from? I'd like to know.
Sadly when someone gives first hand accounts like this no one really listens to what is said. I feel sorry for all of us little people who have no voice.
Of course I really loath to admit this but, on the whole, West Virginians are just dumb and tend to jut believe what they are told. Look at the history of our state. Coal miners have been abused for over a hundred years yet many people rally behind coal companies without even researching their practices. Look at what Massey Energy did to cause the Upper Big Branch explosion. Massey and Don Blankenship are the epitomize corporate greed and evil yet some people actually still support them in WV. It's really very embarrassing.
To be clear I am not even against mining or drilling. I am against irresponsible mining and drilling. The fact is most of these energy companies are based out of state and most of the money made by these companies goes out of state. Heck the gas companies are fighting tooth and nail against having to pay a $10,000 fee per drilling site. They can't even be bothered to pay 10k on a well that will generate millions. They certainly don't care what happens to our drinking water or air quality because once they've sucked the earth dry of anything of value they will pack up and move back to their real home.
Trust me I weep for my state often and it's no wonder so many of our residents flee when they have the chance.
/
Fracking is bad and should be prohibited in all States where is has not been a common practice for at least a decade or two. Pipelines that carry petroleum products should be be prohibited in all States which do not have refineries. Power lines cause cancer and should be prohibited in all States which do not have have energy production from natural resources. Wind towers and solar power farms mess up the view and endanger lizards and should be banned in all States that do not presently have them in place.
There, that should restructure the economy in a sensible way so far as it concerns those States where energy production is actually related to the economy. As for the rest, I'm sure there's a protest going on somewhere you can join.
Sounds like a ringing endorsement for geothermal energy if I ever heard one!
Pragmatic - Engineered geothermal involves - you guessed it - -- fracking.
Sorry Brian but you are wrong as usual - I had a geothermal system in Virginia - took a well - NO FRACKING - just clean water without chemicals, circulating through pipes in the house and out again into a pond we put in
If you don't know anything about geothermal systems - look it up before you post misinformation.
P.S. Heated and cooled a 3,000 sf house, poolhouse and greenhouse for less than $250 per month - neighbors bills were $500+ per month
Lol yeah why on earth would you need to frack for a geothermal energy source?
I don't know about open loop geothermal systems, but I know closed loops do not frack.
Barbara-Ruken - I know a lot about geothermal systems. You have a water source heat pump system. The only thing your pond is used for is a heat sink for your condenser water when you're cooling or for your evaporator when your heating. It's a very efficient system but not an energy source.
jeffor
feel free to read about it.
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/egs_animation.html
Ruken - Sounds like your's is a ground-coupled, closed-loop, water source heat pump system. I have designed several large systems similar to yours for school and office buildings. Nice stuff. Much better heat sinks than air but not geothermal energy sources.
From what I understand it just has water circulating through pipes in the earth. But yea, it's not geothermal electricity, but it is geothermal heat. I guess the type of energy the poster was talking about needs a bit of clarification.
If it's reported by MSDNC, you can assume it's a lie. The far-left have been railing against fracking forever even though all evidence shows it's safe.
Marx, if it is so safe then I suspect the investors in the limited liability corp wouldn't mind exposing all their personal assets to compensate for any and all damages caused.
OK stop, I'll assume you are lying.
Fracking with large amounts of dangerous chemicals by the oil companies is a bit different than using plain water to blast some holes in the earth. If a geothermal company is using the same chemicals than they should be stopped as well, simple as that.
Obviously StoptheMarxist is an independent source that doesn't side with one side over the other... his name explains it.
Wow, my stupid joke resulted in some very informative discussion. Thanks!
"Fracking contaminates drinking water" should not be news to anyone. Maybe it's news to Faux Snooze crowd who, of course, have never heard of fracking.
would that include the M(B)SNBC crowd as well?????
have a good week.
It's all just a coincidence, everyone go back to sleep
well just wait until the House GOP get their veto ability - I bet that will stop the frakking - what a joke the gop are. a bunch of nukking @!$%#leheads.
no fracking way
Who cares..I needs money and jobs now...grand kids wil clean up the mess
Hoping NY can be wise about this
That assumes they won't die from the toxic chemicals in the water supply, or dehydration.
Where will they find the money for the clean-up since they and their kids will be paying for the Bush loans from China for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?
they can get the money from obama, he takes care of anyone that wont work and also his communist and muslim friends.
SARCASM ON/
Remember those TEXACO commercials back in the 60s featuring Bob Hope? Bob Hope assured us that fracking was freaking fine. So this article MUST be wrong.
SARCASM OFF/
WE don't need no terrorists, nuclear bombs, bio-weapons, WMDs. We got US! POGO was right! So was ee cummings. The world will end with a whimper.
For you youngins, POGP was a comic strip character NOT A LOGO. ee cummings was a poet.
Buffalo Bill's defunct.
Reminds me of all those pro-fracking Conoco-Philips ads airing currently. If fracking is so 'clean', would they be airing commercials that stink of propaganda?
ruken, i was just about to post about those and the movie gasland. it's pretty obvious that fracking is the problem when places that were fine start having problems shortly after the fracking begins and it's not isolated to 1 or 2 towns.
Fudge-
Major props for mentioning Pogo!
Propaganda does not exist...People just want you to think it does... ;)
"We have met the enemy and he is us" - Pogo
"This is the way the world ends,
Not with a bang, but a whimper" - T.S. Eliot in The Hollow men
http://www.artofeurope.com/eliot/eli2.htm
(For any here who don't know the quotes you're referring to)
Here's another, which I also posted above:
When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
~ Cree Prophecy
great quote from the cree, was thinking about it as i read your post
OK...lets get this straight. Pressurized water & sand, no problem. What the heck are these "chemicals" they're using? Never seen a posting about what these are. So like maybe the fracking guys need to use something biodegradable or safe? Go figure!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fracking#Groundwater_contamination
We're not allowed to know. Bush, Cheney and their Halliburton cronies had it specifically put into law that fracking chemicals are exempt from the clean water act and are protected trade secrets.
It seems however, that the truth is 'leaking out'.
The fracking chemicals are a "trade secret", meaning it will kill us all. What is so hard to understand about the need for environmental oversight. Corporations have always acted first without oversight and then when the true cost of their operations, including air (acid rain, CO2, lead, soot) and water (MTBE, arsenic, hydrocarbons, pcb's, dioxins, DDT) contamination, toxic waste (asbestos, nuclear, coal ash, pig s..t) become clear they would rather litigate than comply with common sense REGULATIONS (I know you Republicks hate the term). People are fracked up and they only care about the profits. Progress or die. When scientific evidence points out serious side effects of any chemical or operation, then unless procedures can make safe use of said chemicals and their disposal, they must not be allowed. No amount of lobbying or PR commercials or whining by Republicans can change the facts. "War on fossil fuels?????" Who is Imhofe's war on?"
Hey, those chemicals used in 'Fracking' are no frackin' worse than "agent orange" was in Vietnam. So whats the problem.........I mean if it was good enough for our military, then shouldn't it be good enough for the rest of us plan ol' civilian's right?
Quite a bit of hydraulic fluid is used in this process. There are a few documentaries that you might look into at your local library on this subject.
I just don't understand why oil companies don't start transitioning to other forms of technology...wind, solar, water for example. They have plenty of money and could easily train their employees or send them to school. They could lead us into the future, but instead, they want to keep us in the past. Doesn't make any since why we have to be afraid to advance in technology.
To me, it seems only logical to slow / stop more drilling everywhere, but particularly in the NE where tens of millions rely on those aquifers for their water, UNTIL definitive, independent and peer-reviewed studies are completed. Start the process today and make it a national priority. These studies may take a year or two (or perhaps even longer) but we have very little to lose (the gas reserves aren't going anywhere) and maybe our precious water supplies to gain. Even if fracking as it's now practiced is found to pollute, new developments in technique / materials / methods could make it safe in the near future. To insisit on continued development in the face of growing evidence defies logic.
I'm sure the well water contamination was just correlated with fracking, not caused by it.
After all, we all know sometimes you just step outside and your well water smells like chemicals for NO REASON whatsoever.
/sarcasm
They could run an ad with Robert Duvall standing boldly in front of a drill rig as he brazenly declares:
"I love the taste of benzene in the morning. It tastes like... profitability."
Thank Cheney and the former Republican congress for assuring that no environmental protections apply to fracking, and they don't have to disclose what's in the slurry they pump into the ground. There's too much regulation, after all, and I'm sure it's all natural ingredients, scented with dandelions and flavored with unicorn tears. Didn't we finally agree poisoning ground water wasn't worth it back in the 80's? There are innocent people being harmed, but there's some minor justice in this affecting Wyoming, Cheney's home state.
"Drill baby, drill"? Yeah, here ya go. Suck on this pipe.
Obtaining the unicorns tears isn't too easy...They have to beat them with leprichauns....
@sullyness as a resident of Riverton WY who has kids that have friends that live in Pavillion I am glad you find it to be a form of justice that elementary school kids, babies, middle/high school kids, and adults are all getting sick from and are unable to drink the water just because Cheney came from here. My youngest sons best friend and his family are unable to drink their water. It smells like chemicals and this all came after fracking. Pavillions water used to be drinkable and now it isn't. I love how everyone feels that just because Cheney came from here we all should pay. It doesn't matter to you that these are everyday people who work hard to raise their families, these people are not Cheney's friends I doubt they even know the man or have ever met him as they are just your every day families. They are people who go to work every day, go to school, some work on ranches and so on. They are no different from you but yet you feel they should pay with their health and their childrens health all just because Dick Cheney came from Wyoming. I am not aware that Dick Cheney has ever even set foot in Pavillion, he may have but I have never heard of him going there. Fracking caused this and the companies should have to pay the price for what they have done. And for all of you who think that this is a myth I invite you to Pavillion to drink the water day after day. I invite you to mix your babies formula with it, I invite you to wash your clothes in it, shower in it, prepare your food with it, wash your dishes in it. Go right ahead if you think benzene and diesel and all the other hydrocarbons are good for you and your health.
sullyness, you need to suck down some more of that obama coolade and get with the program. Why dont you and the rest of your stupid lib friends show us by example and get rid of your cars and your home heating units, and live in peace? I bet you drive around in a SUV and then bitch about drilling for oil. Just another typical liberal democrat that dont have the brains God gave a jackass. Walk and be quiet!
"But until Thursday, the EPA said it could not speculate on where the contaminants came from."
Hmmm, the chemicals appear mysteriously after fracking that actually pushes chemicals into the ground...
if it is not from fracking, could someone please explain how it is possible to light water on fire from a tap?!!!!!!!!
In some of those cases, which have been over-propagandized, the water naturally contains diffused methane, which comes out when the pressure is released and is flammable at the tap. Freaky, but basically natural.
Benzene in the water is an entirely different matter, completely un-natural and obviously the result of chemical contamination.
Can somebody tell me how we used to tolerate Lake Erie regularly catching on fire? Why on earth did we tolerate the air in LA to be so thick with ozone and soot as to render the mountains a scant mile away to be obscured. Why did we let almost 50 % of the forests in the northeast to be ravaged by acid rain. Was it really us that almost decimated bird populations (canaries in the proverbial coal mine) with DDT.
Oh, we can't have job killing regulations, just people and planet killing operations. By the way I live in LA and the air although not great is several hundreds of percent better. And the corporations bitched the whole way, maybe their kids don't have to breathe the same air. Also cars can never get 30 MPG without killing all the jobs. Oops "Yes we can", bitches.
The sad thing is that these regulations actually create more jobs. More devices have to be made for industries to comply, which puts factory workers back to work. More inspectors have to go out and inspect....oh, and for those devices being made, machines have to play a part in making those devices, which puts more maintenance workers back to work.
The only reason that people have a problem with the EPA is that they help to spread the wealth around, rather than let these companies get obscenely rich off of destroying the Earth and killing millions of species at the same time.
Fracing it is spelled fracing as it is short for fracture!
It still spells contaminated water either way..."A rose by any other name..."
Spacing, tracing, fracing
or backing, tracking, fracking?
Which do you prefer?
Given the Energy department's dislike for anything oil and gas powered, I think some independant scientists should figure all this out before folks get all worked up.
Yeah...By the way...Has your shilling check come in the mail yet?
I agree..why get worked up over black, stinking, flammable water..small price to pay for progress. We'll just drink soda and bathe in fresh morning dew form the goddess. Sure, lets just wait a few years and see if it just might all go away on it's own.
if senator inofe is so sure of the safety of the water, lets see him drink some.
Let's have a list.A real accurate list.On that list will be the names of all the corporate bigwigs who wanted fracking.The list will also have the names of all the goverment folks who are big on this.Down the road we will know whom to congratulate for their vision.The list would also be able to be used for--what's the opposite of congratulate? This gift horse seems to have a smell,bad taste,and is flammable. Hey if there is no causality with the seeming problems it will all work out,right? Js husband
Joyce - Don't forget to list all of those folks last winter who were whining about not having natural gas to heat their homes or all of those motor vehicle operators who complain every time the price of fuel goes up.
Brian, the US is exporting gas BECAUSE WE HAVE MOIRE THAN WE ARE USING.
Sandy - You're going to have to prove that to me. Last I read in October the Department of Energy had not approved any natural gas exports.
Okay Sandy found where DOE has approved some exports. The only other thing I found says maybe they actually start exporting in '12. Maybe it will decrease the deficit trade balance a little.
I fail to see why others fail to see....................that putting cracks into the subsurface, the bedrocks, and then pumping chemical slurries into those cracks pretty much guarantees that some of the chemicals will end up in aquifers or rivers or other drinking waters. It would take an effort to resist that logic.
Aquifers do not clean themselves out in any reasonable human relevant time. You might as well say that once it's done it's there forever.
It's a matter of faith ... facts aren't real when seen from the right.
Dad gummit!!!!! If all you geniuses would stop wasting your time on this here comment page and get to Washington DC this country would be back at work...what did you do before this??? Drive a cab in NYC??? Or were you hair stylists????? ...the other places of great brain trusts.
Natural gas leaks into water systems in plenty of areas where it is not commercially available...look it up on You Tube for petemoss sakes. And the fracking takes place BELOW the aquafier not above it. Oh, and alsophia theophilos, you big greek dummy, you act as though there are not fractures or gaps existing naturally in rock....by the way...which rock have you been under for so long that you didn't think of that....can you say "s-t-u-p-i-d!!!!!!?"
The whole planet is porous!!!!! thats how the water got down there in the 1st place. But I guess you failed to see that....
And you "Moron Conscience," facts change, truth does not. For instance: 110 years ago it was "fact" that man could not fly...then batta-bing he took off from Kill Devil Hill in NC. The truth is: the earth can heal itself amazingly well as she has from 1000's of volcanoes spewing billions of tons of sulfuric-nitric acids, co2 and other deadly compounds, and one of the most deadly compounmds of all: dihydro monoxide covers 3/4 of the earth...and we are still here and fine...
Skeeter,
I believe what little brain you have left just went "batta-batta-bing". It's more that your brain is porous than it is that the whole earth is porous.
But that's OK. I think many of us were amused at your show of emotionally charged idiocy. Maybe you should quit sniffing that dihydro monoxide stuff.
Completely agree! Skeeter is one of those who doesn't care because he won't be alive to see the Earth destroyed. Many people don't look at what the consequences are going to be down the line, ignore it, or just don't care. As long as there is money to be made, there is destruction to be done.
I'm surprised that I haven't read one comment about this being where the Koch brothers got most of their money. I believe that it was their father who invented the fracking method.
Having had personal dealings with Inhofe in the past, and knowing well his performance as a businessman and politician, I can tell you that anything he says is suspect. He will say and do whatever is necessary to advance his own personal agenda.
Sounds like Obama
Sounds like the Truth.
Sounds like all of 'em to me.
THAT sounds like the biggest Truth, Old Paul!
:-/