Fracking...is it safe? I know very little and would like to know what you all think about it! (Pittsburgh: lease, hotel)

[Scott2187]

Originally Posted by ditchdigger

While everybody probably has an opinion, I doubt there are many posting here that know very much about it...

Exactly. Everyone knows what they read, and then how they interpret it. There are many different viewpoints and opinions on this subject. My personal opinion after some research is that it is safe.

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The evidence indicates it can be safe (as safe as a typical industrial process, at least), but only if drillers follow certain practices with respect to wastewater handling, shaft linings, and so on. Following those practices can cost a little bit of money, so drillers might not do it without regulation and enforcement.

This holds true for most industrial processes. Even with the regulations, someone will try to save a buck and screw it up for the law-abiding, safe drillers.

Originally Posted by from Wikipedia

A 2011 report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology addressed groundwater contamination, noting "There has been concern that these fractures can also penetrate shallow freshwater zones and contaminate them with fracturing fluid, but there is no evidence that this is occurring. There is, however, evidence of natural gas migration into freshwater zones in some areas, most likely as a result of substandard well completion practices by a few operators. There are additional environmental challenges in the area of water management, particularly the effective disposal of fracture fluids". This study encourages the use of industry best practices to prevent such events from recurring.

[WINDCHIMES]

Thanks everyone for your input...I am still kinda of not sure what I think, hopefully it helped others too...I believe this will either help us or kill us...I don't know what to think...heard so many varying tales...for once in my life, I can say I am on the fence!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Scott2187

This holds true for most industrial processes. Even with the regulations, someone will try to save a buck and screw it up for the law-abiding, safe drillers.

Correct. Generally, reasonable regulations are often good for the long-term growth of an industry (often even when industry incumbents are fighting them tooth-and-nail).

[Goodnight]

I don't see how the federal government can effectively monitor over 6000 wells, and that number is expected to grow. How many filed inspectors do they have?

[gg]

I voted for it NOT being "safe". Lots of risks and I certainly wouldn't classify it as some safe industry. Ground water is... well rather important. On the other hand is the risk worth the reward? That is the question I ask myself. At the moment i feel the risk is worth it, but I hope the companies that are doing this are responsible and I would like to think the industry is regulated to protect people from contaminated drinking water. I was talking to a guy that has thousands of acres in Maryland and it is moving slower according to this guy. Anyway, I asked him about drinking water and his response was, who cares I buy bottled water anyway. Needless to say, our conversation was over. I wouldn't even know what to say to such a comment.

[WINDCHIMES]

He said that? What a sick person, to think it would be awful but to say that is just well sick, I can see why you didn't want to talk anymore to him, I won't either...that told you everything you needed to know and thanks for posting your viewpoint here! I am also worried about the ground water, I mean corporations don't have good track records, do they? I always think of the oil incident down in new orleans:::

[Scott2187]

Another piece arguing the EPA's stand on fracking...

EPA's Shaky Science Used Used By Green Movement To Attack Fracking - Investors.com

First, the contamination was found in two "monitoring wells" drilled by EPA outside of town, not in water wells that actually supply residents their water. Of those water wells, the EPA draft report said it "re-tested private and public drinking wells in the community" and said chemical levels were "generally below health and safety standards" — that is, below levels considered risks to public health. The water was safe to drink.

Suspicions have been raised that the problem may be in how and where the EPA drilled its monitoring wells and not with hydraulic fracturing per se. EPA use of "dense soda ash" to drill its monitoring wells into a hydrocarbon-bearing layer could have skewed the results.

According to the industry research group Energy in Depth, "dense soda ash has a recorded pH (11.5), very similar to the level found in the deep wells, creating the possibility that the high pH recorded by EPA could have been caused by the very chemicals it used to drill its own wells."

At the end of the article, it mentions the Bakken formation in North Dakota that is currently booming. Interestingly enough, I was in a training class last week and one of the attendants was from North Dakota (mining, not oil industry). He was describing their 'housing crisis'... the fact that you can't find a house. He said the lack of housing is due to the oil industry bringing people into the state. Also, there's apparently a shortage of truck drivers in the area. Not to mention, the state's very low unemployment rate.

My hope is that the natural gas shale industry can help our area in this manner.

[greg42]

Funny, I was gathering to post something about this, but I wanted to find a NEWS story. Your link is an editorial (opinion) story with little real info. Here's the actual EPA draft report released the other day (link is to PDF document):

http://www.epa.gov/region8/superfund...Dec-8-2011.pdf

Here is the ProPublica article that the editorial mentions: http://www.propublica.org/article/fe...for-first-time It's worth noting that even if you want to criticize them as a liberal outfit (from what I can tell, the place is well set up for independent investigative journalism regardless of where it may get some funding) the article includes this: "The EPA’s findings in Wyoming are specific to the region’s geology; the Pavillion-area gas wells were fracked at shallower depths than many of the wells in the Marcellus shale and elsewhere."

The real question since we're in the Pittsburgh forum is if fracking in the Marcellus Shale is safe. The Wyoming findings, while notable for being the first to link water contamination to fracking, are not necessarily applicable here.

The editorial doesn't cite much in the way of anything we can actually go read as far as why they say the EPA's science is shaky. Citing a pro-industry group is not particularly compelling.

[markson33]

I think its true that, if done properly, it is probably very safe. Unfortunately there are those out there who cut corners. The actual fracking process is thousands of feet below the water table. The problem arises when the concrete "tube" is faulty or when the waste water is not properly cleaned/contained.

I think the general answer is that is safe, especially as it relates to standard public water supplies. Well water is where the problem lies.

I always find it interesting that people get into an uproar over something that hasn't injured a single person, but don't care about other things, like car accidents, that kill tens of thousands.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by markson33

I think the general answer is that is safe, especially as it relates to standard public water supplies. Well water is where the problem lies.

That may depend upon how you define "standard public water supplies". Maybe if your standard is a large river like the Allegheny or Ohio (which supply a lot of public water in the city of Pittsburgh and north suburbs), then the volume of water and flow is such that a bit of extra contamination (assuming that happened) wouldn't matter. My own public water supply is a reservoir fed by small streams or springs, not sure which. And guess what? It's surrounded by drilling leases. The reservoir of course doesn't have an outlet or in other words doesn't flow like a river, so I think that scenario is kind of different vs the large river.

I don't disagree that even this water source could be safe if everything is done perfectly, but how exactly can we expect with humans involved that everything will be done perfectly every time? There's profit involved, an incentive to cut corners, making it even less likely it will be done perfectly every time.