Posted on 05/27/2010 2:16:57 PM PDT by neverdem
Sen. Bob Casey, D-PA, is campaigning against hydraulic fracturing in natural gas drilling by introducing a bill to remove the long-standing exemption in the Safe Drinking Water Act that allows energy companies to use the process.
Hydraulic fracturing - or "fracking,' as it is more commonly known in the industry - involves injecting liquids, 95 percent of which are water, into rock formations far below the land surface in order to create access to vast quantities of natural gas. Casey's home state of Pennsylvania has a major portion of one of the country's largest undeveloped natural gas resources, the Marcellus Shale Formation.
The Marcellus Shale Formation covers 34 million acres. in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky. The formation is estimated to hold as much as $7 trillion in recoverable natural gas, "enough to pay off the national debt," according to Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-PA.
But Casey has joined environmental extremists in government and the liberal non-profit activism community in a national campaign to stop the use of fracking. The process has been used more than a million times in the past half century, especially in Texas and Oklahoma where it was first utilized.
Casey says fracking "often occurs near underground sources of drinking water and involves the use of pollutants that may contaminate the water, such as salt, arsenic, and heavy metals.”
The issue is especailly relevant to Pennsylvania, according to Casey, "because we have the second highest number of private wells for drinking water in the nation. My priority is to protect the health and safety of Pennsylvanians as we develop the Marcellus."
So he's introduced the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act to repeal the long-standing Clean Water Act exemption that allows fracking.
But somebody should explain to the senator that fracking is done thousands of feet below the ground water level, which is probably why there isn't a single proven example of ground water contamination caused by fracking.
As for the presence of salt, arsenic and heavy metals, Casey could easily enough check the list of ingredients commonly used in fracking by going to the Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection site, the industry-backed Energy in Depth web site, and the U.S. Department of Energy web site.
At those sites, Casey will learn that none of the three substances he listed are used in fracking.
So why is a U.S. senator pushing legislation based on so clearly mistaken assumptions?
Those are not the only inaccurate assumptions behind Casey's bill. Energy in Depth details the rest of this story here.
Sen. Casey has been asked for a response to this post.
Ping
Be fair. This isn’t limited to one Senator! An overwelming majority of both Houses are loony at best, dishonest for sure.
What the frack??? Wasn’t that slang from Battlestar Galactica or someplace??
Little Bobby Casey ping
They don’t offer courses in reservoir hydraulics or well completion in law school.
I would like to agree, however, the word I got was that a number of people in the affected areas are now having well problems.
That does not mean that the problems did not exist prior to the newer drilling. Groundwater contamination has been a persistant problem in the former mining areas. On my property, the previous owner had a 150’ mine water gusher when he went to drill a new well. Yes, the water was awful.
Around these parts, they are using lake water.
Good to see that such well informed folks are representing us. It makes me sleep better at night. -s-
Smart Senators??? Who
He’s been fracked!
CALL A CORPSE MAN!
Even with an issue that should be a concern due to the industry of his State, Senator Casey is not doing the research, writing his speeches or deciding how to vote.
His UNELECTED staff is doing so.
Term limits would simply give more power to these uninformed, unaccountable bureaucrats.
Clearly the Senator is a fracking idiot.
Cap and trade fear mongering propaganda.
They are drilling 8-9K feet to hit the Barnett Shale (natural gas) around here. You can hit the best water at ~800’. I have heard of no problems with contamination.
And add to it that most of these guys and all journalist-types did everything possible to avoid a science class in school.
I’d love to hear goofy Algore define pH.
yankee senator scum need to stay away for the oil biz.
Soap by Amway called LOC is used for its low sudsing, low phosphate ability to emulsify water.
That is, it makes water up to 100 times wetter and aids in the displacement of sticky substances like oil...
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