Pennsylvania cattle quarantined from gas fracking contamination

Axis of Logic ^ | Friday, Jul 9, 2010 | Tom Laskawy

[GladesGuru]

Looks like the gene lab goofed, seriously. That shouldn’t be out of a cage.

[Gondring]

If they ceased eating their own without testing to substantiate contamination causing cancers, they obviously voted for nobama in 2008.

Actually, I think they area all dead by now.

They refused to believe those who told them it was safe, but not soon enough.

Of course, later on, the EPA admitted that the contamination should actually be cleaned up. We don't know everything...sometimes our analytical testing methods have to become more sensitive to note contamination is actually there; sometimes something we thought harmless is not. Other times, we decide that something is less harmful than previously assumed.

[Gondring]

They drill through the water supply to get to the gas. I think that if there's anyone who claims that casing off the upper portion of a wellbore is always 100% effective in preventing migration between zones has either never been on a drilling project, never seen the followup of a well they installed, or is just plain dishonest.

I mentioned that if they screwed up, I was gonna be the new owner of their company.

They'd just settle with you so they can go on saying that groundwater contamination from fracking fluids "has never been proven."

[SuziQ]

PA Fracking ping!

[dusttoyou]

What contamination did EPA clean up?

[Sacajaweau]

We all realize that all these elements came out of the good earth and 28 cows MAY HAVE drunk from the cess pool....The quarantine does what?? It's not like what they have is contagious.

Why are there no real numbers in this report???....because we'd see that it is a farce....

[Gondring]

Interesting that the narrative has changed somewhat. No longer are they using "groundwater contamination hasn't been proven"...notice the subtle change to "no one’s ever documented drinking water wells"... most people won't notice the change, but they are neatly sidestepping the fact that monitoring wells have shown contamination. Fast Eddie Rendells's folks are slick (and frankly, there's always a very definite urge to wash with soap after shaking his hand--no joke, he just gives the creeps!).

Note that a third of the wells in the study had fecal coliform bacteria--indicating that they are not well isolated from potential surface contamination. It's not necessary to have downhole fracking fluids contaminating the well, as the threat via surface contamination is so great. The liners on sludge pits rupture or leak, there are blowouts, etc. Beyond the fracking issue, Pennsylvania has a well overdue, very strong need for well-construction standards (IMO). I imagine that study concludes that point (I haven't read it yet, but thanks for the link).

Also, much effort has been made to improve understanding in karst areas of PA. Sinkholes are not used as garbage disposals as much as in the past, and you can't use "blood and guts" as tracers like in the old days, but still, there's a lot of natural runoff going into these direct conduits to the groundwater, despite the thick soil covers over most of the areas.

Also note that Pennsylvania taxpayers are left holding the bag when gas companies closed up shop and left without plugging wells so there are countless thousands of open holes still out there. Former colleagues of mine are in on the contract to plug them, but there's enough money for only a few per year (though it's up to hundreds per year instead of tens).

When two companies claim they are no longer going to pump diesel fuel into underground sources of drinking water for fracking coalbed methane wells and then admit doing it for years after that agreement, it's difficult to claim we can just trust them to "do the right thing" without being monitored.

Things like 4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide (CAS #56-57-5) are not naturally out there and just as healthful as an apple a day. The fact that it was detected in flowback solutions is pretty damning, in my mind. (What is 4-Nitroquinoline 1-oxide used for? As a "very potent mutagen and carcinogen," it's a very reliable means of creating cancerous tumors so anti-cancer drugs can be tested.) If there's no problems to worry about, then there should be no problem with appropriate regulation. I'm not for a ban, but just to be sure safeguards are in place as with other industries who could jeopardize others.

[Gondring]

What about the radioactive waste from NORM?

[Stultis]

What about the radioactive waste from NORM?

I dunno how much of an issue that is in the waste produced around here. I'm never around it enough to worry. At most passing maybe a tanker truck carrying water away from one of the wells.

Frankly, if these operations were being run by the fed I'd probably worry a bit more. But state and local agencies here in Texas have generally proven sensible and competent. The operators also strike me as having their acts together. Wells and pumping stations go up quickly. Noise abatement devices are always used where needed. Sites are always neat and clean. Pipes are never corroded, always kept painted. Etc, etc.

Of course for the econuts and panty-wadded fear mongers, nothing ever satisfies them.

[Gondring]

[...] why the quarantine??

I don't see the problem...the cattle seem perfectly healthy to me.

Except one thing is puzzling...I seem to have twice as many head as I had before!

On a more serious note...

- Benzene and diesel fuel come from fracking?? Isn't diesel fuel a refined product? Is there a naturally occurring refinery underground?

Diesel fuel has been used in fracking fluids for decades. Benzene and other components of fracking fluid are found in groundwater well above the fracked zone...whether by fluid migration or gas transport, I don't yet know.

[Gondring]

You do realize that many of those who are arguing IN FAVOR OF fracking are the lefties who see this as their great hope to push for “greener fuels” and to save the economies that have been ruined by their other disastrous policies, right? The state Administration Democrats of both New York and Pennsylvania are pushing for fracking to rescue them.

[Gondring]

What contamination did EPA clean up?

They didn't do it. It was actually cleaned up in a voluntary action by the company that had generated the waste.

[Gondring]

FYI
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2550330/posts

[RobbyS]

Yes, you have to do it the right way. But just look at some old pictures of the fields up around Titusville. Takes a lot of time and effort to do this right, but the payoff is big enough for the investment to be made.

[DTogo]

Diesel fuel has been used in fracking fluids for decades.

I'm no expert in fracking by any stretch, and perhaps there are good "geological/industrial" reasons for using diesel fuel, but wouldn't common sense tell anyone not to pump that stuff deep into the ground at up to 15,000psi??

Using air, water, steam, etc is one thing, but pumping refined/toxic petroleum products into the ground... uh... WTF??

[dusttoyou]

And the waste generated and cleaned up was......

[Old_Grouch]

The Marcellus Shale formation is about 1 mile down. Just google Marcellus Shale and you will read lots of information. Just beware that 75% of the information on the Internet about Marcellus Shale extraction is anti-drilling.

[Gondring]

...predominantly an organic compound.

And I’m not going to detail it—that’s my client’s information to share, not mine.

[Gondring]

Why not? It's perfectly safe!

</sarc>

[Gondring]

The Marcellus Shale formation is about 1 mile down.

Are you sure? :-)

Fact is, it's at different depths in different places, and it crops out in many places.

[Old_Grouch]

Gondring asks “Are you sure? :-)”?

Well, I’m sure no expert! I just have 14 acres that we leased to Cabot last fall, so I’ve done some reading. My understanding is that the Marcellus formation is way below water wells. Of course there can be leaks and problems along the way, I am not disputing that. But basically this is a deeper formation than has been exploited over the past decades prior in PA, as far as I understand.