Posted on 08/09/2010 10:07:07 AM PDT by thackney
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There have been two huge lies, the first that hydraulic fracturing somehow causes natural gas to migrate upwards through the geological formations, infiltrating drinking water aquifers. The second, is that “chemicals” mixed with the fracturing fluids will contaminate the same drinking water. One of the chemicals in question is diesel, as has been all of a sudden singled out in a press release on August 5 by something called the Environmental Working Group and another called Earthworks.
I have worked on hydraulic fracturing for more than 25 years, mostly as an academic, and while I consulted with the new villains, Schlumberger, Halliburton and BJS, I do not work for them. I have written probably more books and papers than anybody else on the subject and I have consulted with companies in 70 countries. I estimated I have trained 6,000 engineers all over the world.
The idea that formations 10,000 ft below ground can somehow contaminate drinking water aquifers, 9,500 higher through the growth of the fracture height is beyond preposterous. I would like to see a calculation, any calculation from anybody that is affiliated with these groups that can show fracture height migration of ten thousand feet. Ironically, in fracture design we are worried and try to avoid fracture growth of 100 ft or so to avoid losing production to another formation.
If fracture height cannot connect the reservoir with the water aquifer then what could do it? Natural gas migration through the rocks themselves by some magic we do? If that were the case, if the separating multiple layers of different rocks were that porous, the reservoir would not have existed in the first place, having leaked naturally all the way to the surface over millions of years of geologic time.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Good column, although it’s a difficult fight, given that most opponents of fracking have a hidden agenda of being against resource development, so they have little interest in the underlying science. As this guy has noted, if natural gas could migrate so readily, it wouldn’t be there in the rocks to collect anyway.
their minds are made up! don’t confuse them with facts and logic!
Dimock,PA?
Hidden? If that agenda is hidden, these envirobozos would be ‘it’ forever when playing Hide & Seek.
????
I don’t understand your question.
I watched the special where they were showing people lighting their drinking water on fire. It made me wonder.
Not only are they totally different issues, you could great increase the cost of our energy sources will still having occasional leakages.
Cabot Oil recently paid nearly 1/2 million $ fine for contaminating well water near Dimock, PA. They apparently, introduced methane into the drinking water via their fracking process. At least that is what they paid fine for.
Diimock is of course located in the Marcellus Shale. One of the hottest natural gas drilling areas in USA. Even the majors (Shell/Chevron)getting involved.
However, as a result of this spill (and others) NY State has put moratorium on drilling and Penn has in several areas.
Further research/study will be required, they say.
The contamination is natural gas, it is not contamination with chemicals that Cabot uses to fracture the hole.
As I mentioned above, a problem with proper well casing is not the same as a concern with Hydraulicfracturing.
Reuters News Service Runs Hit Piece on Drilling in Dimock, PA and Cabot Oil & Gas
http://marcellusdrilling.com/2009/03/reuters-news-service-runs-hit-piece-on-drilling-in-dimock-pa-and-cabot-oil-gas/
All existing environmental legislation(s) need be reviewed and upgraded by the above method.
Such a procedure should put the frivolous Political environmentalists at risk, and ensure we still have a procedure to validate scientifically proven truths.
Yes. I believe I said it was the methane Cabot introduced into the drinking water. Well casing, or fracking process, makes little difference to home owners affected.
But new hydrofracking regulations won’t fix that problem.
Fracking is the latest buzzword even though it has been in use for decades, but this was almost certainly from bad casing.
Regulations seldom fix anything.
Problem, Susquehanna County (Dimock)is 5th poorest county in Penn. The thought of job$ and lease$ for gas right$ is superseding common sense. Accidents. Spills. Values left open. After BP mess in Gulf O Mex. People are much more concerned/angry than a year ago.
Cabot, etal better get their heads out and soon, or entire State of Penn will halt drilling. And that would be a shame.
The article nails the science here, but as others have said, environmentalists do not care about science unless it agrees with them.
Another poster commented on the compelling video of the people lighting their tap water on fire.
It is compelling because they show you a picture and do not explain the facts, like the media loves to do over and over and over again.
Why do you think the media and liberals are so angered over the gulf spill? It is because they DID NOT get the images they hoped to splash on every TV, newspaper and magazine!
FWIW:
“A lot of folks relate the situation in Dimock to a fracking problem. I just want to make sure everyone’s clear on this – that it isn’t. What happened in Dimock was that a company was drilling in the Marcellus, and they encountered a shallow gas producing formation … which is common in this area of Pennsylvania. … It wasn’t a fracking problem.”
“Responding to recent concerns expressed by residents of Dimock Township, Susquehanna County, the Department of Environmental Protection has collected dozens of water supply samples in the Carter Road area and determined that nearby gas well hydro fracturing activity has not impacted local wells.”
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/newsroom/14287?id=2165&typeid=1
Cabot Oil is a member of the Marcellus Coalition. Not saying there is anything wrong with that. Just sayin’. Numerous other oil cos. drillers, etc. are likewise members.
Working my way through Vanity Fair article of this Dimock situation. The presence of “...irons,metals” in drinking water concerns me. Most seem to feel it is a top down rather than bottom up causation.
In either case, it little matters if you happen to live in one of the 4 homes cited in your link that are in danger of explosion from methane in the water...
I am just about to shut the PC down for the day, but wanted to get a quick reply in about water quality. First, I have an MS degree in hydrogeology and have worked for years on ground water quality issues. Most people are unaware of what is in their well water until they have it tested for metals which is a very expensive test. Therefore, proving that metals in well water came from fracking is generally impossible unless you have years of periodic testing done prior to fracking to establish a trend in metal concentrations. The earth is a very complex system and all sorts of contaminants are already in the ground from natural sources. I have seen cases where people drilled water wells into areas that contained arsenic mineralization and then complained it was contaminated by someone else.
But anyway, envirowackos don’t care about science. They will use any lie to further their socialist agenda.
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