Fracking your future (Denver, Colorado Springs: to live in, legal, doctorate)

[Idunn]

“It’s not entirely clear to me that you need to stop [the quakes] . . . It’s actually kind of fun . . ." [1]


The National Earthquake Monitoring Center, of the USGS in Golden, CO, reports a 3.4 magnitude earthquake in Dallas, TX. More precisely, this earthquake at 11:05pm local time Saturday, centered two miles north of the Dallas suburb Irving.

The Dallas-Forth Worth airport, lying partly within Irving's city limits, continued routine operations.

The more cynical among us might, in causation, look to all the fracking operations in the Barnett Shale region of that area. And low and behold, this very airport has leased land for all sorts of fracking operations. That in itself might be no more than coincidence, although by this point it has been determined that the dramatic rise and intensity of earthquakes in the area are precisely due fracking.

Other than damage to private residences, still being somewhat minor due relatively low-intensity earthquakes, of more serious concern possible future damage to infrastructure: such as the very fracking wells themselves, or also oil pipelines in the area not designed to withstand such forces.

What is at issue here is the vast amount of fracking waste water injected back into the ground. The analogy given in this reference of an air hockey table, where the puck will not move without the underlying air, but with it slide quite freely; or with this large amount of waste water acting as such a lubricant. But it must act on something, and seemingly most fracking operations may not present such a possibility. Those that do, such as near Dallas, are located near underlying ground faults, which might lay dormant otherwise without the injection of such lubricants.

Colorado presumably has a different underlying geology. Without such faults, should they not exist, it may remain free of artificially induced earthquakes. However, that aside, a lot of water in a semi-arid state is involved. The wells in Texas have been injecting 150,000 barrels (or 6.2 million gallons) of waste water per month into the ground since October 2006. That water is now tainted with a host of fracking compounds, many quite toxic.

1) 'How Fracking Disposal Wells Are Causing Earthquakes in Dallas-Fort Worth,' State Impact / NPR
How Fracking Disposal Wells Are Causing Earthquakes in Dallas-Fort Worth | StateImpact Texas

[Idunn]

"But it was no idle threat: After quietly moving through the state Senate and House, this week the governor signed into law a bill that opens up 14 of the state’s public universities to fracking, oil drilling, and coal mining on campus." [1]


Quite a record: in four years, between 2008 and 2011, 3,355 environmental law violations, 2,392 of these posing a direct threat to the safety and environment of communities. With, in 2010 alone, 82,602 active wells left uninspected.

The governor perhaps can overlook this due $1.3 million in his pocket from the oil and gas industry in 2010 towards his election campaign. As for the students? He slashed funding for PASSHE's schools by 18%, thereafter thinking a further 20% less might be in order.

Not to worry, maybe some of that can be made up with revenue from oil and gas development on campus which may leave students exposed to water contamination, explosions, and air pollution. Due this, perhaps campus a less desirable place to be in future.

This, by the way, in Pennsylvania.

Lisa McKenzie, at the Colorado School of Public Health, in testimony before Congress urges stronger regulation to protect against possibly hazardous air pollution near fracking sites, including the risk of cancer. [2]

On Wednesday, September 26th, Clean Water Action delivered signatures from Denver metro residents asking Governor Hickenlooper for greater safeguards. That the current setback of 350 feet from homes, schools and hospitals in densely populated areas not sufficient to "protect our air, water, and communities." [3]

If the experience of residents such as in Longmont, CO is any indicator, then the State of Colorado in league with the oil and gas industry will wish to set applicable standards—steadfastly against local ordinances with stricter standards than what will best satisfy campaign contributions to state politicians.

1) 'Pennsylvania Fracking Law Opens Up Drilling on College Campuses,' Mother Jones
Pennsylvania Fracking Law Opens Up Drilling on College Campuses | Mother Jones

2) 'Colorado School of Public Health Scientist Testifies Before Congressional Panel,' CU Newsroom
Colorado School of Public Health scientist testifies before congressional panel | Newsroom | University of Colorado Denver

3) 'Drilling and Fracking Setbacks in Colorado,' Clean Water Action
Drilling and Fracking Setbacks in Colorado | Clean Water Action

[Robin Rossi]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

I live right in the ground zero of fracking in Pennsylvania now. Funny enough not a day goes by without seeing a Colorado licence plate as there are so many workers from all over in the area.

99.5% of what is used in fracking is water and sand. Halliburton has released a website recently listing all the chemicals used.

I have mixed feelings about it, so far it has mostly proven to be safe and many of the companies have improved their techniques to the point it should not be a problem. When they first came into my county it was a free for all, but things have improved, Dutch Shell buying a major stake and they seem to have a more sensible handle on things.

Fracking natural gas is something that could easily provide this country with limitless gas for centuries. I'd rather keep the money here in the USA than send it overseas.

I say, Frack-on.

[Bob from down south]

Originally Posted by Robin Rossi

I say, Frack-on.

I say "frack off!!"

[jazzlover]

The earthquake disccussion is interesting. There are probably not a lot of current Front Range residents who were around when the Denver metro area was repeatedly shaken by earthquakes during the mid- to late 1960's (I was). These have been widely attributed to deep injection of contaminated water from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal that were occurring at that time. See history here: Colorado When the deep injections were suspended, the earthquake activity pretty much stopped. Draw your own conclusions.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

The earthquake disccussion is interesting. There are probably not a lot of current Front Range residents who were around when the Denver metro area was repeatedly shaken by earthquakes during the mid- to late 1960's (I was). These have been widely attributed to deep injection of contaminated water from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal that were occurring at that time. See history here: Colorado When the deep injections were suspended, the earthquake activity pretty much stopped. Draw your own conclusions.

My parents recall those earthquakes! My dad was actually working at the Arsenal and the time and knew that what they were doing there had to be the source. As you stated, once they stopped, the earthquakes stopped.

I wonder if the 4.0 earthquake in Maine yesterday can be attributed to the fracking happening in PA and other areas of the NE. My bet is on it!

[CALIFRE]

Here ya' go folks, A major movement to ban fracking is already in the works:

SignOn.org - Ban hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") in Colorado

Thank you for your support.

[CosmicWizard]

Robin Rossi wrote: I say, Frack-on.

Bob wrote: I say "frack off!!"

I'm with Bob on this one. Frack Off!

[Mike from back east]

Frack 'em if ya got 'em.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by delta07

My parents recall those earthquakes! My dad was actually working at the Arsenal and the time and knew that what they were doing there had to be the source. As you stated, once they stopped, the earthquakes stopped.

I wonder if the 4.0 earthquake in Maine yesterday can be attributed to the fracking happening in PA and other areas of the NE. My bet is on it!

There are 40,000 earthquakes a year in the USA, all over the USA, so I bet not.

Clearly people do not understand fracking either. They are not detonating nuclear bombs under the ground.