If this GUSHER doesn't make you think of Hydrallic Fracturing, think again!

IMO, this so called, "mistake" leading to an uncontrollable gusher is no different than what we stand to face throughout Pennsylvania with the number of companies filing permits to penetrate the shale. So far in the state, we've had a couple of really, really BAD incidents (drilling the Marcellus shale) after promising how careful they would be drilling. A few problems: how safe our drinking water would remain, how sick some get from contaminated wells.

In fairness, fracking is being done carefully by only a few, which doesn't excuse the inconsistency for too many companies aggressively seeking to lease large tracts of property for fracking natural gas.

Fracking? What is it? We have a lot of natural gas under the Marcellus. Lots of gas companies (see below the ones that are first in line) have drilled straight down, then out, like many spider legs at a level of 8,000 feet into the earth. This method of drilling down and out is what I am talking about. The industries wanting to do it see the technology as a more "efficient" process being put forward to extract natural gas in the Marcellus shale.

The slang, "frac", means hydraulic fracturing, where you basically drill by using large pumps hooked up to a newly drilled well that eventually travels down 8,000 feet. The wells are cemented and there are many companies competing to drill these wells. Many come into communities and set up meetings with "common folk" to acquire the agreements the rights to drill. They often promise royalties of gas that is recovered. The lines that extend out after going 8,000 feet down can extend for miles. Highly pressurized water and chemicals (and chemical breakdown is unknown, as that is the company's proprietary information, even to the Dept of Environmental Protection) break apart the shale hard rock, creating fissures from which the shale gas is released. It takes thousands of gallons of fresh water to frac through each well, and that water is again delivered by trucks back and forth from the well sites. The water that is recovered can be the biggest problem, too (it's in a contaminated state). The companies look for places central to wells to "treat" the frac water before returning it to its source, which are our rivers around. The companies get the water for free (yes they do). Some have illegally dumped frac water in the rivers. Not nice.

This is controversial and in some cases (Susquehanna county, for one) when proper cementing procedures were not followed, frac fluid (that mix of water and chemicals) were able to migrate / forced into groundwater. The groundwater usually anywhere from 0 to 1,000 feet deep, while the natural gas bearing formation lies at several thousand feet. You can actually see bubbles coming up from leakage. It's awful.

There have been reports after reports of well blowing up, water that can be ignited coming out of the faucets in these areas that have been drilled.

This is supposed to be Pennsylvania's best hope for energy besides "clean coal" (oxymoron). This is supposed to be our "gold rush"?

And, of course, the gas drilling companies have to work with the DEP in our state, which, of course, has too few employees to handle thousands and thousands of applications pouring in. The PA DEP literally does not know what to do because of the overload of companies chomping at the cheap drill bit with this new technology.

Here's a list of the companies with Marcellus Drilling Permits first in line in our neck of the woods. Some of them are in court already...

I swear I don't understand how people can think there will be no consequences from this activity.

http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/News/2010/04/19/ExxonMobil_favors_fracing_disclosure/

... Oh, gee THAT'S a relief!

I see that XTO is Exxon, as evidenced in your article link.

I thought this process was mostly limited to Colorado, and up in Canada. I posted the link so people could see the connection and that it is spreading. Solar on every roof top. They have solar shingles for chrissake. We don't need to keep doing this crap. It's just insane. A 350 piece windmill farm produces as much electricity as a nuclear plant. There are other solutions.

The vast majority of it runs across Pennsylvania-

I don't know exactly what areas are affected, but it's pretty widespread.

While the oil guys seem upbeat about this, I wonder what consequences the world will endure as a result of their methods?

I was just reading an article in last October's Scientific American about this:

They simply don't give a shit about your well-being.

The poor and homeless don't give a shit?

Seriously, if you think this is an "awakening", I'll correct you on that fact. My family historically have been among the poor (fortunately, not homeless) immigrants coming to this country who have helped build it, served in its military and have remained patriotic to "the cause".

As one in the generation of baby boomers who had EVERY advantage, I am at the end of my patience to "work within" to change.

Stop telling me something I already know and continue to do your best to correct it any way you possibly can!

:eyes: :crazy: :silly: :wtf:

Sig Heil!

I assume you meant it, and the funny little icons and fake Hitler salute is your way of reminding me we are all human beings (at least I think so).

are insulting.

But, yes, I'm sure you think it is your due.

Too bad there isn't a bowing emoticon... I'm sure you would accept that as a matter of course.

... but, here you go, bobbolink!

about someone they know not are averse to seeing it in themselves.

If I told you that you hurt me deeply with your assertions would it matter?

No? You would just tell me to "grow a skin" or some other lovely put down?

Why am I not surprised....

Because that is exactly part of the problem we have in this country now. Congratulations.

and if you say that I am making assumptions now... yes, you are right. You hand 'em out, you can take it. Like a man.

Really.

I said you should not tell me something I already know to be true and do everything to address the problem within your power (or words to that effect).

I didn't mean to hurt you, and I'm not beyond saying I'm sorry for that, if I did.

P.S. I'm not a man, but I sure can take it like a woman!

Okay?

It hurts tremendously because I often have people telling me I should do MORE, I should do this or that.

I live in my car and I am doing all that I can to get people to understand the truth of homelessness, and to get involved in SOLVING this national shame.

Yet, very few are at all willing to do even a little bit.

While I pour not only my time and energy, but even the little $$$ I have to try to make some sort of progress on this NATIONAL SHAME.

So, the words you tossed out so cavalierly hurt deeply.

I hope you will remember that.

And, I hope you will now take seriously the need of ALL here to work seriously to ERADICATE, (not charity, but eradication!) of Homelessness, The National Shame.

It hurts to be homeless, and it hurts to have to constantly defend myself that I am "doing nothing".

Again, I'm sorry.

crud-a-rama...... bad link. :silly:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8260778


Thank you.

Thanks so much for posting this as an OP so we can become aware of this issue and its connection with what we're seeing now.

I wasn't aware of this before and see now that we all need to become educated about it.


A Toxic Spew?
Officials worry about impact of 'fracking' of oil and gas.
By Jim Moscou | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Aug 20, 2008 | Updated: 5:26 p.m. ET Aug 20, 2008


http://www.newsweek.com/id/154394

These have been boom years for the West. From New Mexico to Montana, more than 33,000 new oil and gas wells have been approved since 2001. Last year, nearly 90 percent of onshore federal drilling permits were issued in the Rockies. In the heart of the rush is Colorado. A 2007 survey from the Fraser Institute, an energy think tank, put the state as the No. 1 global spot to explore and develop oil and gas.

Central to that development is the use of fracking fluids. Largely unregulated, they've been employed by the energy industry for decades and, with the exception of diesel, can be made up of nearly any set of chemicals. Also, propriety trade laws don't require energy companies to disclose their ingredients. "It is much like asking Coca-Cola to disclose the formula of Coke," says Ron Heyden, a Halliburton executive, in recent testimony before the COGCC. Despite its widespread use and somewhat mysterious mix, fracturing fluid was deemed in 2004 by the Environmental Protection Agency as safe for the environment and groundwater. Dave Dillon, the COGCC's top engineering manager, says nearly every one of Colorado's 35,600 wells are "fracked" and that a minimum of 100,000 gallons are used per well, resulting in millions of gallons pumped into the ground each year. And since it's typically pumped far below groundwater tables, Congress exempted fracking fluids from the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005.

~snip~

How often workers and communities are exposed to fracturing fluids, and the chemicals in them, is unknown. One study by Lachelt's OGAP reported Colorado had about 1,500 reported spills of various types, including fracturing fluids, in five years. Nearly 800 spills were identified in New Mexico. But, as the Behr case demonstrates, some fracturing fluid spills and worker contamination may be falling through regulatory cracks. While numerous government guidelines require contaminate spills and worker injuries be reported, NEWSWEEK has learned that not a single incident report was filed with any government agency by Weatherford or BP documenting the April 17 spill, nor may either company have been required to do so. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the state's COGCC all tell NEWSWEEK that the incident falls outside their regulatory jurisdiction, or was not significant enough to trigger reporting requirements. Moreover, Marshall was contaminated on a well site located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, putting federal, state and local oversight further out of reach. (The Southern Ute authorities say they were never notified of the spill either.) The Colorado offices of the EPA and OSHA did launch investigations this month.

For state health officials, the chemical exemptions, regulatory loopholes and missing data are a concerning mix. "We are just working in the dark," says Dr. Martha Rudolph, director of environmental programs for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. "We don't know the impact on the potential health on humans might be. We need to." La Plata Commissioner White is more succinct: "I think this is a travesty," he says. "Somebody has dropped the ball."

K&R

there's never been a proven case of water contamination caused by fracturing and the safety of the procedure has only improved over the years. Knowing that renewables cannot currently handle the scale and doubtfully ever could due to peak silicon - not to mention issues w/ cost per BTU and it being unrealistic to pass along a tripling of consumer energy bills. So of oil, coal or nat gas, I prefer the latter, cleanest of the three and produces least amt of CO2 emissions.

a la Dick Cheney to exempt oil and gas companies from the Safe Water Drinking Act. Meanwhile, there are court cases, in spite of what spokespersons for the oil and gas industries have claimed.

Here, read it yourself-


http://www.workers.org/print.php

These shales occur over more than half of the crust, at depths of 2000-10000 feet. They are filthy with ancient, organic methane. The shales were laid down mainly in the Devonian-Permian era. It only came to an end with the cataclysm that closed the Paleozoic, probably a massive series of supervolcano eruptions that also flooded what is now India with basalt -- the "Deccan Traps".

It means that we need never again fear an energy shortage.

On the other hand, natural gas emits an average of 55% of the CO2 that coal does. It also tends to carry radon gas.

And then there's that fracking business ...

--d!
Factual and non-flamed corrections of any of my science-based blather is appreciated.

The same way BP might have invested in the same hardware to ensure best practices... but didn't.

So, while we have a potentially lower carbon footprint associated energy technology, I notice that I no longer have an option to choose to support wind as part of my energy bill. We had an emerging "Green Mountain" company who brokered to Dusquesne Energy here so that for a few extra pennies per kw, we drew from that wind resource.

They've failed. I might invest in knowing more WHY that industry never took off.

Money, Marketing, Minds...

It is, unfortunately, one of our clients, and we do tech support for them.

Many permits are pending, too.

gas or oil. One is a horizontal play centered through the geochemical sweet spot in fractured shale, the other is a vertical play through porous sandstone. Oh, and one's for oil and one's for gas. So how is one supposed to make me think of the other? Other than you don't like resource development?

For example, each industry is using new technology that depends on a way to cap (oil or gas) under a great deal of pressure. As has been explained by Dr. Simon Boxall, from the National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton the oil industry...



Marcellus gas drilling has been a vertical technology, that is, until more recently, when fracing was introduced. This technology is more complex and relies on a sealed well, but as you indicate many layers of shale. It is more difficult to safeguard against the bad outcomes unless you do it right. Many are not and it doesn't take too many incidences where gas migrates to that top 1,000 feet.

How you conclude this means I don't like "resource development" is beyond logic, as that is SPECIFICALLY what is needed.... geological, engineering and economic work necessary to ensure profitable mining and compliance with applicable laws!

This isn't an industry with the motto, "ready, GO, set", TransitJohn!

Looks like burning off rainforest to get arable land, actually.