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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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You ecos don't want shale gas to fuel the economy? OK then what is your solution to the following (these 800 fields produce 2/3rds of the world's oil supply):
IEA World Energy Outlook 2008
Main text
The projected increase in global oil output hinges on adequate and timely investment. Some 64 mb/d of additional gross capacity — the equivalent of almost six times that of Saudi Arabia today — needs to be brought on stream between 2007 and 2030. Some 30 mb/d of new capacity is needed by 2015. There remains a real risk that under-investment will cause an oil-supply crunch in that timeframe. The current wave of upstream investment looks set to boost net oil-production capacity in the next two to three years, pushing up spare capacity modestly. However, capacity additions from current projects tail off after 2010. This largely reflects the upstream development cycle: many new projects will undoubtedly be sanctioned in the near term as oil companies complete existing projects and move on to new ones. But the gap now evident between what is currently being built and what will be needed to keep pace with demand is set to widen sharply after 2010. Around 7 mb/d of additional capacity (over and above that from all current projects) needs to be brought on stream by 2015, most of which will need to be sanctioned within the next two years, to avoid a fall in spare capacity towards the middle of the next decade.
IEA Word Energy Outlook 2008 Press Release
The prospect of accelerating declines in production at individual oilfields is adding to these uncertainties. The findings of an unprecedented field-by-field analysis of the historical production trends of 800 oilfields indicate that decline rates are likely to rise significantly in the long term, from an average of 6.7% today to 8.6% in 2030. "Despite all the attention that is given to demand growth, decline rates are actually a far more important determinant of investment needs. Even if oil demand was to remain flat to 2030, 45 mb/d of gross capacity - roughly four times the current capacity of Saudi Arabia - would need to be built by 2030 just to offset the effect of oilfield decline", Mr. Tanaka added
You understand that? Just to keep global production from going into decline the global oil industry must put online the equivalent of a new Saudi Arabia every 5 years just to maintain current capacity. Not only that but you have developing countries' demand for petroleum increasing so that we actually need a new Saudi Arabia to come online every 3.8 years to get the equivalent of 6 new Saudi Arabia between 2007 and 2030. (2030 -2007) / 6 = 3.8.
Which prompted Nation Geographic to issue this editorial:
"The Energy Information Administration, an arm of the U.S. government, forecast last year that, all things being equal, world energy consumption would increase 50 percent by 2030. That's a good round number, summing up the desire of people across the world for refrigerators, televisions, ice cubes, hamburgers, motorbikes, and maybe even a little air-conditioning in the tropics.”
“But it's not at all clear where that energy can come from, because we happen to be alive at the moment when the oil is starting to run out. In November 2008 the International Energy Agency estimated that production from the world's mature oil fields was declining 6.7 percent a year, a rate that is expected to get even worse over time. Offsetting this decline will require finding a new Kuwait's worth of output every year, or somehow squeezing that much more from existing fields. Many observers think we've already passed the peak of oil production. An optimist in this world is someone who thinks it might still be a matter of years. But there's little question where the future lies, which is why the cost of a barrel of oil spiked to $147 last year. It took the prospect of a Great Recession to bring it back down to $40. Curbing high gas prices with recurrent economic slumps is probably not the smartest of remedies."
And then you wonder why the US Military issued this report last year?
United States Joint Forces Command:
U.S. JOINT OPERATING ENVIRONMENT REPORT 2010
“A severe energy crunch is inevitable without a massive expansion of production and refining capacity. While it is difficult to predict precisely what economic, political, and strategic effects such a shortfall might produce, it surely would reduce the prospects for growth in both the developing and developed worlds. Such an economic slowdown would exacerbate other unresolved tensions, push fragile and failing states further down the path toward collapse, and perhaps have serious economic impact on both China and India. At best, it would lead to periods of harsh economic adjustment. To what extent conservation measures, investments in alternative energy production, and efforts to expand petroleum production from tar sands and shale would mitigate such a period of adjustment is difficult to predict. One should not forget that the Great Depression spawned a number of totalitarian regimes that sought economic prosperity for their nations by ruthless conquest...By 2012, surplus oil production capacity could entirely disappear, and as early as 2015, the shortfall in output could reach nearly 10 million barrels per day...The implications for future conflict are ominous, if energy supplies cannot keep up with demand and should states see the need to militarily secure dwindling energy resources.”
You have a massive energy crisis coming in this decade but who in the media or elected officials is bothering to tell you about it?
So I'm asking you opponents of shale gas what do you propose we replace that oil production with to prevent a global economic meltdown?
HAWKE< so you dont see a problem with the supply pushing the demand on to the people? thats like pushing crack on the corner bro. we have the technology to reduce petroleum intake but the powers that be, put a lid onit many times over to push there agenda, wich i clearly state WAS NOT DONE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE, so dont give me this whats your solution B.S.
Hawke:
367.4
Wanna a sip?
Start doing voice work for the oil companies. They would love your ass, especially the Sandusky work out center.
You aren't answering the questions. You live in the petroleum age. Telling petro-sapiens they're addicted to oil is like telling a fish it's addicted to water. google FourCorners Crude the incredible journey of oil.
Look around you where you sit. Dang near everything you see is derived from oil. That includes your computer's plastics, the stain and varnish on your table. You have carpeting? You have a car? Your car not only uses it as fuel the pant is made from oil, the plastic dash is, the headlight and taillight covers. The tires average 6 gallons each.
Google products made from petroleum to get a list of everyday stuff you use.
I like visuals, do you? Visualize this: The world consumes 88,000,000 barrels of oil each day to maintain the current economic statues. What does that volume of oil look like? Let's transfer those 42 gallon barrels into something everyone has seen, 55 gallon steel drums. If we stacked those drums on their side and laid them end to end, as if making a pipeline, how long would that string of steel drums be?
An oil barrel is 42 gallons
A 55 gallon steel drum is 3 feet tall
A mile is 5,280 feet
The circumference of the earth is 24,900 miles
The speed of sound (Mach 1) is 768mph
(88,000,000 x 42gal) / 55gal = 67,200,000 steel drums
(67,200,000 x 3ft) / 5,280 = 38,182 miles long
How far is that around the earth?
38,182 / 24,901 = 1.53 or 1 1/2 time around the earth each day
With that volume you could encircle the earth with steel drums 560 times each year
(38,182 miles x 365days) / 24,901 = 560 times around the earth each year.
The speed at which you'd have to lay those drums end to end to cover the 38,182 mile distance?
(38,182 miles per day / 24 hours) = 1,591mph
1,591mph / 768mph = 2.07 or Mach 2
At a decline rate of the IEA's decline rate half that volume of current production could be gone by 2030. Are we going to find and put online 6 new Saudi Arabias by then? What do you think we are going to replace those decline fields with? Corn oil? How 'bout Kentucky moonshine? There isn't enough farmland to grow that much corn. The IEA is saying the fuel will come from shale gas.
The next time you are having an energy drink with your buds show them that math equation....should make an interesting conversation.
doem309, I was just reading about all your education and wall shingles and that's your best answer to this economic crisis the world is facing? The IEA is saying that lose of fuel will be made up from natural gas liquids derived from shale gas. There are industry skeptics who don't beleive that's going to happen.
youtube: The impending world energy mess Dr Robert Hirsch
HAWKE, the bottom line is accountability.......... there will be no solutions untill we as americans here in america hold the flagerent policy makers accountable for there recklessness, theres absolutely no excuse for any business to get away with knowingly introducing any kind toxic matter, on anyones land, anyones water, anyones air, without proper notifacation, warnings, VOTES FROM THE LOCALS, and without full disclosure prior to drilling, swindling, etc etc, i cant stand the idea that kids having access to poisenous water etc......
You have no evidence that fracing has damaged your water wells. Policy makers (politicians) from local on up listen to whatever (hysterical) belief the majority of their voters believe. They aren't going to let facts kill their elections.
Admiral Lawrence Rice has said he can't understand why the elected officials seem to be ignoring their JOE Report 2010. Maybe it's because they have no solutions.
I want an answer. A 10 million barrel per day shortfall in the global is equal to having every gasoline pump going dry across all 50 US states. Think about all the US cities with rush hour traffic. The US consumes 9 million barrels per day as finished motor fuel gasoline.
What do you guys propose the world replace that shortfall with, keeping in mind that a 10 million per day consumption is equal to the energy output of 750 nuclear power plants?
You really should google Chris Martinson's The Crash Course. Chris got is PhD in science from Duke U and his MBA in finance from Cornell, went on to become a VP of fortune 300 company and has said The Crash Course is the most important work of his life and he gave away for free.
bicycles for a start.......
Bicycles? The tires are made with oil.
Here's a question for you.... How long do you think the earth can stand being stripped and raped and polluted for its fossil fuels before we admit we've got to do something else before they run out?
Or do you not care as long as they last until you are dead and don't have to worry about it any more?
hawke, the answer for fuel is corn and grain alcohols, totally renewable and non toxic..
Corn is an environmentally damaging crop, even in rotation, as proven it cost more in processing, diverted food crops, and less efficient final products.
Hemp is much more efficient.
If you look at a graph of world population growth beginning with the industrial age to present population really takes off with the use of petroleum. Google The Crash Course 17c
It appears that the 7 billion population today is dependent upon that petroleum. IOW if oil production has peaked and the energy shortfall the military is projecting then why wouldn't you expect a food crisis materializing in areas around the world?
Seems to me we need to buy time since there is nothing out there capable of replacing petroleum as we use it today. The closest alternatives is natural gas....and that's why the IEA believes NGL will be used to mitigate that the decline in conventional oil.
horsepucky, Google (and watch): Crash Course Chapter 17b: Energy Budgeting
You just exposed to me you lack of understanding energy and its role in our lives...no wonder you said bicycles.
To get oil you have to first build the equipment, make the location, and then drill a well. IOW you have to put energy in to get a energy out. The acronym is EROEI (Energy Return on Energy Invested) or Net Energy. At one time oil had a 100-1 net energy. Meaning for every 1 barrel of energy input 99 was available to the consumer to use as desired. That's why you live in the world that you do today....and why so few farmers can feed that lifestyle.
Corn ethanol might be a 1.2-1 net return. Meaning that for every 1 gallon of ethanol input you might get .2 gallons available to the consumer.
Think of it this way: Suppose you have a self-contained, sustainable, corn-ethanol farmer. He produces all his corn, coverts it into ethanol, saves what he needs for next year's corp, and sells the surplus to the consumer. For every 1.2 gallons he produces only .2 gallons can be sold to the consumer since he'd have to store a gallon for next year's farming needs. Oh he's sustainable but you'd be living on a planet that couldn't possible support the current population. Somebody will have to go hungry...esp since a lot of farmland would be used for fuel instead of food.
thats total b.s. corn, grains, are a much more eco friendly and renewable resource smokepotter. hawke you know this is the future here zero emissions, non toxic, and once the kabals are shaken, we improve on effiency.
i dont give @!$%# about corparate profits hawke, im much more interested individuals having the ability to self sustain, you know off the grid away from the problems other so called intelligent people created... to un plug from progress.. i know enough about energy more than most, i never bought in to over population, diversity to the point of destruction... alittle solar recovery with wood backup, grow some corn and sugar cane. im cool with that, occasional bikeride ya, now if we all did that petroleum wouldnt be a problem.
really? prove it. Show me the research that supports a net energy return for corn.
What I have observed here is that there is alot of interest in the energy crises. There are a few that are using common sense than there are the adolescents that don't have a clue ,some comics that post just to stir the pot and the know it all's that really don't. Very few that have a real working knowledge of the energy biz.
With that being said; My over all assumption is that so far this country has never felt any real pain due to the lack of energy and so the fat oil guzzling American citizens can afford to complain. Peak Oil is real and growing demand is a fact. We are at a hundred a barrel today, it will be two hundred within a year and a half. That will be the beginning of the pains of withdrawal. The reassuring thing is that the publicly appointed politicians that will be making our energy policies will be shown over whelming facts that will shake them to a point of sane policy implementations. The ecos and other whiners and anti energy morons will cry another tune , I can see a big benefit from 25.00 per gallon of gas and 27.00 gallon of milk, it will have a much needed effect on the countries deplorable obesity problem.. More people walking and farming. Hawke, you get it and those that think as you and I are going to welcome all drilling and fracking that the energy companies can muster one day. Trying to engage the horse@#@#y style morons who believe that growing corn and sugar cane is the answer is a waste of time. Most that have posted here are out of touch. Grow corn Hilarius! The ethanol mandate has been one of the largest fleecing s of the American public since Vietnam.
Thanks, jeff. A big part of dealing with the energy problem is that too many politicians know no more about the importance of oil/NG than the econs posting comments to this article.
Your welcome Hawke. I have surprised myself by the amount of time I have spent reading and posting about this, but I am compelled to post what I know and believe about oil and gas operations. I have hands on experience. The fact is, I do know about the energy Biz because I have been an oil and gas operator in Texas and Louisiana for quite some time. I have never posted publicly about anything and so I was surprised at the misinformed and the public's negative view of the energy sector. Thats why I jumped in. You are among the few here that obviously researched the topic's and back yourself up with some good data. Unlike the majority of the chimps that have chimed in here. Unfortunately Americans do believe and hear what they want too and many want to believe doom and gloom and negativity, usually the ones that are complaining the most are losers. that's their problem. I deal almost daily with regulatory bodies such as the Louisiana Dept of Natl Resources, EPA, Texas Railroad Commission etc. the overall feeling and recommendations both off the record and on is that fracking may be a hot topic but the data speaks for itself. Theer is and will be fracking in this country and is spreading around the globe. I can assure everyone that it is extremely expensive to extract oil and gas. The tree hugging eco nuts that are bolstered by the Hollywood elite nut bags, are doing nothing more than driving the costs of energy up for the American public. The industry has very talented, educated representatives and advisers in Washington. The truth will prevail and fracking may be more regulated but but not shut down. All the anti fracking nuts will begin sniffling the loudest about the high cost of energy.
There is mass hysteria about fracking in which people don't bother to look at those inconvenient things called facts. They hear fracking is going on and they decide that every time they don't feel well their water is contaminated. The EPA is part of the hysteria. A few clicks and I found the Encana company's side of the story. Here is is.
On December 8, 2011, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a draft report on its investigation of groundwater near Pavillion, Wyoming. The EPA's news release stated: "The draft report indicates that ground water in the aquifer contains compounds likely associated with gas production practices, including hydraulic fracturing."
The EPA's draft report and current view is based on a possibility, not a conclusion built upon peer-reviewed science. The cause of the compounds in the water remains inconclusive.
We live and work in the communities where we operate and we care about the impacts of energy development on the environment. We work very hard to ensure our operations do not impact groundwater. That's why Encana has worked extensively with the EPA and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality in their investigations into this matter. Encana disagrees with the EPA's statement that the source of the compounds in the groundwater is likely associated with hydraulic fracturing from natural gas development.
The Pavillion area natural groundwater has a long history of poor quality. Recent drinking water sample results are consistent with studies published by the U.S. Geological Survey and others over the past 50 years, prior to natural gas development in the area. The poor water quality is due to sulfates, sodium, total dissolved solids and pH which commonly exceed state and federal drinking water standards. The nature of the area geology is that natural gas has always been known to exist at shallow depths in the Pavillion natural gas field.
It's important to note that:
The characterization of the ground water as highly contaminated is not supported by the data. Encana continues to test and document well bore integrity under the direction of the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
The EPA report is of concern to the State of Wyoming and members of Congress. Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, who sits on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, have called for more research. Senator Inhofe has expressed concern that the EPA has pre-determined results that remain inconclusive.
Encana remains committed to seeing that the investigations into determining the source of the compounds found in the Pavillion groundwater are backed by sound science that is reviewed by independent peers.
.
More research??? That's cute sally... And always the most efficient delaying tactic.
But either there's contamination in the ground water used for drinking, or there isn't. That should take about 2 days to determine.. Probably, less...
"Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, who sits on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, have called for more research""
HAWKE EYE, how about we start with bicycles and go from there.
How many times have you ridden a bicycle across Wyoming...in the snow, how many times with a car/truck?
hawke, you know im right, you know corn and grain alcohols are the answer...... zero emissions, totally renewable, non toxic. come on hawke wheres your rebuttle to try and discredit the clean truth.... my people had it right thousands of years ago......
I know you are exactly wrong. Google and watch The Crash Course 17a, 17b, and 17c.
How is this different than adding poison to someone's drink in a bar?
Hawke, if the technology was around since the 1940s like you claim why has it waited till now to become so important to do it. My guess would be Money and tie a little Greed in. Where you have them two elements you rarely have any truth. I feel the point is this, wide spread use of the technology and the rate of growth are starting to reveal more secrets than were previously told or understood so let's not jump from the thought of running out of oil to poisoning our drinking water, We can't survive without water to drink but we could find a way to live without oil.The cowboys did it.....
Most wells since then have been fraced. What's new (since the 80's) is using horizontal drilling and then fracing to access shale zones.
Our current strong and adament protestors against the world banking practices should/need take on our oil and gas industries. These oil and gas companys are absolutely 100% sociopathic
Hey, Hawkeye - if there is such an 'energy crisis' and need for more exploration for natural gas, why are they converting import terminals to export terminals and just signed a contract with Spain to supply them with LNG? Stop disparaging the truth which is that the gas and oil companies want the demand to go up so they can jack up the price as it is the only way to make money. Natural Gas comsumption is at an ultimate low (just check out a bill). If only 19% of the rooftops had solar panels with feed-in-tarrifs, we could supply the entire world with energy (and get a Nissan Leaf). Stop spreading your 'stepford wife to the industry' propoganda. And, water wells have been polluted by natural gas extraction for decades. Just go to your local Department of Health. The nonsense needs to stop. You sound like the tobacco industry denying for decades the link to cancer. Also, High Volume Horizontal Hydro fracturing has only been happening since 1991 which was when the first horizontal well was drilled in the Barnett Shale in Texas. And look at that lovely state, asthma 1 in 4, invasive breast cancer on the rise, and a drought they claim they'll never recover from. Oklahoma is shortly behind. Also, google Range Resources vs the EPA. Yet another case of contamination. Over 5000 non-disclosures signed already for either water or money. Keep fracking up the earth and then move to Florida where the Bush's own the mineral rights. Just don't let that stinky BP gulf spill get ya!!!
Because our refineries are equipped to handle heavy crude while theirs are not?
My industry propaganda? Officially, Exxon, BP, Saudi ARAMCO deny the world is as peak production. Officially, the IEA says conventional oil (which makes up about 90% of produced crude) peaked in 2006
My God, these Repukes sure have Mr. Obama in a lot of wars...war on religion, war on fossil fuels, etc. Sounds as though the Repubs have a war on Truth...as evidenced by 90% of what Faux Noise spews.
For the EPA to come out and make public (assumption) announcement without admittingly knowing the scientific truth yet is irresponsible. This gives the perception that this is totally political. We have found ways to eliminate our dependency on foreign oil and create jobs and wealth in the United States. Imagine our improved economy with gas at $1.25 a gallon. Imagine the increased demand for workers, both blue collar and white collar. Imagine not having to fight wars in the middle east to protect overpriced oil. Imagine telling OPEC to suck it. However, if your goal is to have Socialist World Economy, then you wouldn't want this.
the republicans want to do away with the EPA......
I can't take the idiocy, the lies, exaggeration, outright stupidity. One moron lists all the chemicals ever used in fracking. Did he bother to state that only about 10 are used in an individual well? How about that they are diluted with 99.5% water and sand? When you go to the store to buy say, toothpaste, there is dozens of brands but you don't use them all do you? Same thing morons! GEOLOGY. Colorado's is not the same as NY/NJ, target layers are at different depths, thicknesses, etc.. HVHF is safer than driving a car and it is necessary to recover energy this country needs today. We must become energy independent now before we are forced to by those wanting to destroy us. Green renewables are great, but they will not meet our needs with today's technology, face it, it's a fact.
Let's take toothpaste as your example to these morons. Toothpaste is made with sodium fluoride. Sodium fluoride is the principle agent in rat poison.
Not only is sodium fluoride used in both rat poison and toothpaste buy municipalities deliberately put into their water supplies for you to drink.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that fracking caused water wells in the Pavillion area to become contaminated. If that’s the case, it is tragic and needs to be addressed immediately—no question about it. But there is one overpowering bit of logic that anti-drillers cannot seem to wrap their minds around: This is one case where the fracking occurred close to water supplies in a non-shale geology. If fracking is the evil they make it out to be, if indeed it contaminates water supplies wherever it’s done, then why has not happened in tens of thousands of other communities throughout the country where it’s been done?
It stands to reason there will be an isolated case here and there, but really folks, chemical contamination from fracking just is not happening on a large scale—not even on a regular scale, not even one percent of the time! Keep Pavillion in perspective. One place in the entire country, and the fracking was close to water supplies, and it isn’t even yet proven that fracking is the source of contamination. Let’s inject a little science and common sense into the process before making a blanket statement about the hazards of fracking.
What is the percentage of time chemical contamination does occur? When taking into account scope (amount), what is the percent?
The answer to the above question doesn’t take into account how many people and animals have been affected, or how long the effects last.
From the article: “The EPA is separately working on a national study of fracking.”
I used these quotes earlier, but they work here also.
From Affirming Gasland:
“I asked Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, the D. C. Baum Professor of Engineering at Cornell University, whose research for more than 30 years has involved structural mechanics, finite element methods, and fracture mechanics: ‘Can drilling and/or hydraulic fracturing liberate biogenic natural gas into a fresh water aquifer?’
His reply: ‘Yes, definitely. The drilling process itself can induce migration of biogenic gas by disturbance of previously blocked migration paths through joint sets or faults, or by puncturing pressurized biogenic gas pockets and allowing migration through an as-yet un-cemented annulus, or though a faulty cement job. The hydraulic fracturing process is less likely to cause migration of biogenic gas; however, the cumulative effect of many, closely spaced, relatively shallow laterals, each fracked (and possibly re-fracked) numerous times, could very well create rock mass disturbances that could, as noted above, open previously blocked migration paths through joint sets or faults.’”
Also, the article “Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing” states:
“[D]ata, [that] coupled with the ratios of methane-to-higher-chain hydrocarbons, and δ2H-CH4 values, are consistent with deeper thermogenic methane sources such as the Marcellus and Utica shales at the active sites and matched gas geochemistry from gas wells nearby. In contrast, lower-concentration samples from shallow groundwater at nonactive sites had isotopic signatures reflecting a more biogenic or mixed biogenic/thermogenic methane source…We conclude that greater stewardship, data, and—possibly—regulation are needed to ensure the sustainable future of shale-gas extraction and to improve public confidence in its use.”
Since the Environuts have had their way, people can't afford oil heat so they burn wood & coal around here. I have asthma & COPD and I can hardly breath sometimes because of the smoke. Thank you to the Chicken Littles of the Environut Movement !!!!!!!!!!
I'm sick of the government butting in and trying to regulate the pollution of our water and air. Businesses should not be regulated. The EPA should be dismantled. NO MORE BIG GOVERNMENT! Every government office should be privatized for profit, including police and firefighters. If people don't pay a fee for their service, they should not get service. Tax payers should not have to pay to keep their homes from being burned down. If you want protection, then pay an annual fee for that service. Sound familiar?
Youtube:
Fatih Birol (IEA) interview (Catalyst - Oil Crunch, ABC TV
Chris Skrebowski interview (Catalyst - Oil Crunch, ABC TV)
The caption associated with the Fenton home illustrates the common misunderstanding that fracking is a drilling process. Fracking is actually part of the completion and stimulation process and does not occur until after the well is drilled to its total depth. Therefore the haze was not from "fracking fluids vaporized in the drilling process" as the caption states. The anti shale-gas folks shoot themselves in the foot credibility-wise on a regular basis by demonstrating they do not understand this basic distinction.
This isn't a case of bad science. Here's the science, the chemicals go in the ground, they show up in the water. Ignoring that and trying to blame the water testing is absurd. I am about as conservative as they come and I don't even see how someone can try to blame something other than the fracking, especially when the water was clean and became contaminated. Ughhh.
when I roughnecked on drilling rigs we'd spend 30 days to drill a well 8,000 feet. Often we'd put a new 30 foot joint of pipe on when we got on shift and it'd take 8 hours for that joint of pipe to drill down.
You guys have no idea just how hard these formations can be but you believe that hydro pressure alone can breakup through those hard layers of rock to contaminate water wells.
While it is true that we humans might filter our drinking water, what about all the animals and plants that rely on uncontaminated water...The insects and the bacteria and all of the creatures which make up a healthy humus. For those of you who are devout defenders of the exploitation of all our natural resources, in order to make our current modes of consumption viable, you will suffer the consequences of the degredation of our earth in equal measure...
Fracking "likely" poisioned WY ground water, just like the Gulf Spill "likely" killed the dolphins, sea turtles, and fish and is responsible for the giant dead zone, and the dispersements that are still sitting on the bottom of the ocean were "likely" the cause for the death of the oyster beds, etc.
Pam, at the top of this comment page (page 14) I quote several reputable source about a severe energy crunch coming in the next several years. Those sources are The International Energy Agency, National Geographic, and the US military.
If that 10 million barrel per day shortfall materializes it will be like having every roadway across all 50 states vacant of gasoline powered autos. According to the Dept of Energy and EIA the US consumes 9 million barrels of oil per day as gasoline.
The IEA believes the shortfall will try to be made up from LNG derived from shale gas....buy you people want to shut down shale production. What do you propose to replace that shortfall with?
I can hear it now, because of the shortage in oil, the very same people complaining about shale gas fracing will be the same ones accusing the oil industry of price gouging for the high price of oil they'll have to pay and the wrecked economy to boot.
if i read this correctly , the shale fracking in the sory above is for natural gas not oil ... and deffinatly around here that is what they are after
that's irrelevant since the procedures is the same.
why do'nt we look for energy sources in places that would not effect the drinking water like alaska? oh sorry we're not allowed to by the big enviromental lobby. and yes our president will run with this bad situation to further our nations dependency on our enemys resources.
they do the fracking here in Arkansas mostly in the north where the foothills and mountains begin ... since they started fracking a towns water supply dried up, and we have had several earthquakes and tremors through out the state ... every time they widen a fizzure they weaken the plate ... eventually they are going to do so much fracking that the plates are just going to give and the country is going to buckle .... i dont understand why they mix chemicals in with the sand and the water ... what good is the chemical if all your doing is wideing a crack with preasure .?
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hmmmm we pump all this oil..... why is gas $3.15 per gallon ?? we can get gas and desil from .coal,switch grass. so why is there fracking?? our buddys up north have comming up out of the ground...and 0-Bamma is saying i cant deal with a pipe line across the USA now??? wtf. wake up peeps
Bakken Shale production uses the same horizontal drilling and fracturing as shale gas production.
German Military Peak Oil Study – Full English Translation
released Aug 2011
Part of that quote bares repeating because......it apply describes exactly what so many of you anti-fracing responses are practicing. You don't have a clue about how much your way of life, your standard of living, is about to go down the toilet. Quote: Psychological barriers cause indisputable facts to be blanked out and lead to almost instinctively refusing to look into this difficult subject in detail.
I've given you plenty of info about an energy crisis/crunch coming within this decade due to a shortage of oil supply. The only thing capable of making up that shortfall in oil would be liquified natural gas. Yet to maintain your opposition all of you have ignored this coming crisis.
How much would fracking--specifically--improve/maintain our standard of living?
As much as LNG trickles down...
But that is also assuming you do not give a @!$%# about clean water for consumption!
How would fracing maintain your standard of living? It opens up oil and gas shales to production. It that going to maintain your standard of living? No. Your economic standard of living is going down the tubes. But that's a lot better than worrying about your survival if those shale plays don't come online.
@notsojingo. Once again FRACing as been a routine oil production process for 60+ years. It ain't new. It's only new to environmentalists who only recently learned about the procedure and are using it as yet another irrational rallying cry.
Do/did you watch Bonanza? Hydraulic mining was in the one episode that the Bad Guys(Bronson mining co) found a titleless area of the Ponderosa, though Ben had the receipt of sale from the old timer that sold it to him, and when he found out about it was pissed as hell and lists a bit of what hydraulic methods did to the land.
Do not assume we that care about the environment haven't cared until all of a sudden, hawke-1069173, because you are only fooling yourself. And even to those just learning of the long-term damage/existence of Fracking does not reverse nor cease the ongoing ruination of the Environment in its path, nor make it a good thing.
Respectfully, We Are Not Buying what You are selling with an irrational logic, but thanks for your attempt to make a supposition. I'm guessing you beleive in and support the Keystone XL Pipeline and all of the lies involved in its salespitch. My turn to assume, so let me know if I am wrong, as I am doing for you. Better luck next time.
Go to 3:40 of this episode if you can't watch the build up and see Ben raise Hell. Below is the link. Your welcome.
Bonanza Patchwork ManPart 2 - YouTube
Peace
Surprise, surprise...
Fracking has polluted the water table. Democrats are pointing their fingers at Republicans as they ride into battle on their war-donkeys. Republicans point their fingers back as they prepare to fire their elephant's water cannons. The EPA jumps into a hole to avoid being hit by racing donkeys and water hoses. Please knock it off.
Here's an idea. If oil companies can drill sideways and fracture rock to get oil, normal people should be able to dig a straight hole in the ground and pump out water. Normal people should be able to filter and distribute it to the population. Politicians should be able to do something useful, tax the oil companies, and use the money to pay for all of this stuff.
Or we can sit in front of the computer and watch the donkeys and elephants yell at each other. That will be awesome! Elephants versus Asses in a steel cage match!!