Hydraulic
fracturing or ”fracking” is a drilling
process by which natural gas and oil are mined from the
earth. Manufacturers use hydraulic fracturing to
stimulate wells and recover gas from sources such as coal
beds and shale gas formations underground. The
process requires some of the most advanced
equipment in the production business to fracture, or
crack (hence “fracking”), underground rock formations,
aiding the flow of oil or natural gas in areas that would
otherwise not easily produce resources. The natural gas
and oil industry has been using hydraulic fracturing since
the 1940s. Today hydraulic fracking is one of the primary
ways manufacturers retrieve natural gas. Fracking
is performed in nine
out of ten of the country’s natural gas wells.
Controversy
behind hydraulic fracking centers on the negative impact
the process may have on groundwater. Fracking requires the
mixing of numerous
chemicals with sand and water to complete the fracking
process. The
Environmental Protection Agency has raised concerns
that some of these chemicals could contaminate drinking
water and has launched an investigation into the issue. A report
conducted by Cornell
University concluded that hydraulic fracturing could
potentially be worse for the environment than coal.
From ProPublica: When the Environmental Protection
Agency abruptly retreated on its multimillion-dollar
investigation into water contamination in a central
Wyoming
natural gas field last month, it shocked environmentalists
and energy industry supporters alike. In 2011, the agency
had issued a blockbuster draft report saying that the
controversial practice of fracking was to blame for the
[...]
But for Those Outside the Boom, It’s Business as
Usual It’s been over four years since a drilling company first
drilled for (and hit) oil and gas in the Eagle Ford
Shale. Since then, the region has become an economic
engine for
Texas
, and to some degree, the country. While the region has
seen several downsides to the [...]
Oil and gas and energy special interest groups outspent
others by a large margin during the regular session of the
Texas
legislature this year. 19 cents of every dollar spent on
lobbying belonged to the energy and natural resources
industry, according to a new report by Texans for Public
Justice, a state watchdog group. And [...]
From the Texas Tribune: LULING — Amid the dry
weeds on a 470-acre ranch here, a rusted head of steel
pokes up, a vestige of an oil well abandoned decades ago.
Across the field stand two huge, old wooden oil tanks, one
of them tilting like a smokestack on the Titanic.
“Basically I get 61 acres [...]
Increased use of natural gas to generate power in the
U.S.
is contributing to a decline in greenhouse gas emissions,
according to a new report from the Center for Climate and
Energy Solutions (C2ES) out today. While coal still makes
up a substantial percentage of the nation’s electricity,
particularly when power demands rise in the [...]
The Texas Railroad Commission passed a long-awaited
rule on Friday to strengthen the construction of oil
and gas wells. The rule, known as the “well-integrity
rule,” passed by a unanimous vote among the three
commissioners. It will take effect next January, and will
update the commission’s requirements for the process of
drilling wells, putting pipe down [...]
As a drilling boom continues in
Texas
and other states, the
U.S.
finds itself with so much natural gas that some companies
now want to export domestic fuels abroad. Today, the
federal Department of Energy (DOE) announced approval of a
second facility, the Freeport LNG Terminal on
Quintana
Island
, to export natural gas in liquid [...]
Update: The Senate unanimously approved SB 514 from the
floor this afternoon, according to a representative from
Sen. Davis’ office. Original Story: A bill that would
reform how fracking wastewater moves to disposal wells
could pass through the state Senate today. SB 514,
introduced by state Sen. Wendy Davis, D- Fort Worth, would
expand the [...]
From the
Texas
Tribune: The impact of the recent boom in shale
drilling is hard to miss in some remote
Texas
towns, where hotels and homebuilders scramble to keep up
with the influx of oil and gas workers. But the most
significant effect from the boom may be seen in the
state’s coffers. Taxes on oil [...]
Groundwater Contamination Higher Near
North Texas
Gas Wells
by Forrest
Wilder Published on
Brian Fontenot, who earned his Ph.D.
in quantitative biology from UT Arlington, worked with
Kevin Schug, UT Arlington associate professor of chemistry
and biochemistry, and a team of researchers to analyze
samples from 100 private water wells
Researchers at the
University
of
Texas
at
Arlington
have found elevated levels of arsenic and other heavy
metals in private drinking water wells near natural gas
wells in
North Texas
’ Barnett Shale. The scientists analyzed samples from
100 wells, both inside and outside of the Barnett Shale.
Their results were published
online today in Environmental Science &
Technology.
Some wells were near to natural gas production sites;
some were not. Although arsenic was found in 99 of the 100
wells, levels were “significantly higher in active [gas]
extraction areas.” Twenty-nine of the wells registered
arsenic concentrations above levels that the EPA considers
safe. One sample, near a natural gas site, was “almost
18 times higher” than levels found in the Barnett Shale
prior to the tracking boom as well as the maximum arsenic
concentration found in a well outside the active drilling
zone.
The findings are likely to fuel continued debate over
whether fracking is polluting drinking water. As the
oldest major shale play, the Barnett Shale is of
particular importance as scientists, regulators and
citizens grapple with fracking’s impacts.
The authors, however, are careful to say that the cause of
the contamination can’t be definitively pinpointed.
Potential causes could include: mechanical failures such
as faulty gas well casings or fluid spills; mechanical
disturbances from drilling; or dropping water tables from
overpumping and drought, (although aquifers in the area
are currently rising and the historical data doesn’t
show spikes in contaminant levels during past droughts).
And like good scientists they call for more research.
“This study alone can’t conclusively identify the
exact causes of elevated levels of contaminants in areas
near natural gas drilling, but it does provide a powerful
argument for continued research,” said Brian Fontenot, a
UT Arlington graduate and lead author on the new paper.
The
Texas
oil and gas industry and politicians insist that
groundwater pollution isn’t linked to fracking.
There’s a grain of truth to this assertion. Despite an
astonishing increase in fracking activity in
Texas
, research is sparse.
“Despite a number of recent investigations,” the
authors note, “the impact of natural gas extraction on
groundwater quality remains poorly understood.”
WOULD YOU LIKE THESE CHEMICALS (USED FOR FRACKING) IN YOUR
WATER?
