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Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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Old 10-01-2010, 07:43 AM
 
323 posts, read 804,868 times
Reputation: 161

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Okay, I can't even read some of the ignorant bs that's being posted by some people on this subject. I work in natural gas drilling, and first off, that "documentary" GasLand, is a bunch of crap. Search 'energy in depth' and check out their rebuttal of much of the so-called facts presented in the film. There is a lot of freshwater in NEPA that naturally contains a lot of gas, especially in coal-bearing zones.
On to water issues, it is required by PA codes that all freshwater is isolated from any gas-bearing zones by a separate string of steel casing and at least 1" of cement all the way around the pipe. Which is a pain in the ass in NEPA, b/c you folks have both shallow gas and water, requiring multiple sets of surface casing to be set (b/c you can't have gas and water behind the same string of pipe). I cannot speak for all operators, but the company I work for has an EXCELLENT record of compliance with all state regulations, and we go above and beyond in ensuring freshwater resources are protected (b/c seriously, the oil and gas industry uses freshwater just like the rest of the world, and no one wants to be responsible for contaminating people's drinking water).
Now, on to fracking. This is something that is done well after the well has been drilled, and all water zones are safely behind steel casing. My company runs a log prior to fracking the well to ensure that we have a good cement job and that the job can be performed without any question as to the integrity of the casing or cement. The zones that are being fracked with the Marcellus are SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET (no exaggeration) below any freshwater bearing zones in the area. And, as you folks in NEPA have multiple shallow gas and freshwater zones, the zones that are being fracked are typically separated by your water-bearing zones by, once again, SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET of rock, and 2+ (and usually well more than 2) strings of steel casing, both of which have a layer of cement around them at least 1" thick.
A lot of good is coming to the communities that are being drilled in. While initially, yes, the locations that are drilled upon are fairly large, after the location is reclaimed, there is very little area that is disturbed. The influx of people and rigs are a HUGE BOOM to local businesses, b/c we all shop, eat, etc in local stores where we're drilling. Not to mention all the roads that the oil and gas industry pays to repair, b/c yes, we do have a lot of heavy vehicle traffic that does tear up the roads, but then we are required to fix them (and usually leave them better off than they were when we found them). On top of that, there's all kinds of philanthropic work that gas companies do for the regions they drill in (donating money to schools, starting petroleum tech programs at local colleges, etc).
Just a different perspective from someone who actually works in the industry and knows a few things about Marcellus drilling and how things are done.
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Old 10-01-2010, 08:11 AM
 
1,305 posts, read 2,610,823 times
Reputation: 753
British Petroleums Tony Hayward almost gave the same speech not too long ago... Also see DEP vs. Cabot
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Old 10-01-2010, 08:19 AM
 
1,895 posts, read 3,401,223 times
Reputation: 819
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnqpublic View Post
British Petroleums Tony Hayward almost gave the same speech not too long ago... Also see DEP vs. Cabot

what is there to see about "DEP vs. Cabot"? just curious...
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Old 10-01-2010, 08:40 AM
 
28,164 posts, read 25,155,697 times
Reputation: 16664
Bottom line: Alternative energy sources need to be more heavily explored and researched. All of these things - gas, oil, etc are NONrenewable sources of energy. NONRENEWABLE. Hello! Anyone home? Ugh.
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Old 10-01-2010, 08:42 AM
 
1,305 posts, read 2,610,823 times
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Pa. insists Cabot pay for $11.8M water pipeline for Dimock residents | stargazette.com | Star-Gazette
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Old 10-01-2010, 08:43 AM
 
1,305 posts, read 2,610,823 times
Reputation: 753
DEP takes action against Cabot Oil & Gas Co. - Honesdale, PA - Wayne Independent
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Old 10-01-2010, 09:51 AM
 
1,895 posts, read 3,401,223 times
Reputation: 819
Cabot CEO Blasts State DEP - WNEP (http://www.wnep.com/wnep-susq-drilling-cabot-response,0,3400073.story - broken link)

the link includes a video from the news people...

it seems to me that Hanger is jumping the gun. maybe he should wait for the lawsuit to unfold...there seems to be a bit of conflicting information between Hanger and Cabot.
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Old 10-01-2010, 10:06 AM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,754 posts, read 17,966,022 times
Reputation: 14730
History repeats itself if we do not learn from our mistakes. Yes; PA needs jobs and money. However; we have to know the full cost. We don’t want to leave a nightmare for our offspring to deal with. The more knowledge we have on this subject; the better. There are always going to be unforeseen accidents - that is why we have spill teams. As far as concrete in casings and chemicals that never touch our ground water; things happen - no matter how well you prepare. Wasn’t there a small earthquake up by Binghamton not that long ago? I liked our State putting a rest area in a one hundred year flood plane (that had three floods in the last few years).
It is good that the companies do repair the roads. However; their trucks are still using some of the bridges that do need repair. Bridges cost much more to rebuild than roads do to fix. I am not sure that the companies would be quick to come forward if they damaged a bridge? I could almost picture the company placing the blame on the truck driver for being off route. I worked for a company that sent a driver over a bridge in Allentown that had weight restrictions. The driver got a $12,000 fine and the company tried to deny that the dispatcher sent the driver over that route.
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Old 10-01-2010, 06:11 PM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,778,912 times
Reputation: 17862
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnqpublic View Post
Rugerjitsu'

I am state certed in hazmat myself, we call the unknowns methyl ethyl death... an interesting aside, smokers are constantly appx 20% to level of carbon monoxide poisoning!!!!
But it's not going to kill you is it? Interestingly Carbon dioxide which can also kill you in large concentrations can actually be beneficial at higher than normal concentrations under some circumstances

Quote:
Carbon Dioxide as a Fire Suppressant: Examining the Risks | Alternatives / SNAP | US EPA

In human subjects exposed to low concentrations (less than 4 percent) of carbon dioxide for up to 30 minutes, dilation of cerebral blood vessels, increased pulmonary ventilation, and increased oxygen delivery to the tissues were observed (Gibbs et al. 1943, Patterson et al. 1955). These data suggest that carbon dioxide exposure can aid in counteracting effects (i.e., impaired brain function) of exposure to an oxygen-deficient atmosphere (Gibbs et al. 1943).
So we have a something that can kill you or help you...
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Old 10-01-2010, 06:21 PM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,778,912 times
Reputation: 17862
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magritte25 View Post
All of these things - gas, oil, etc are NONrenewable sources of energy. NONRENEWABLE. Hello! Anyone home? Ugh.
True but adjusted for increases in demand the US has enough coal to power itself for about 175 years. I'm sure someone can come up with renewable resource that is cost effective.

Until someone can show me how to heat a 2000 sq foot house and provide domestic hot water for the entire year for about $800 I'll stick with coal.
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