Oh guess what?
Contaminating and disrupting our water
The state’s case-based tally suggests the rate of drilling-related contamination incidents increased with the start of the Marcellus boom: Drilling damaged water supplies at a rate of more than 16 cases per year during the past five years, according to the state’s accounting. For the 20 years prior to 2008, the incidence rate was fewer than three cases per year.
The state agency has some serious transparency issues so it’s hard to tell just how much water has been contaminated. But, it’s more than we know in Texas where no one it testing water.
Sunday Times review of DEP drilling records reveals water damage, murky testing methods
BY LAURA LEGERE (STAFF WRITER)Published: May 19, 2013
Interactive map at link.
At “You’ve Been Fracked !” you can read quite a few letters to landowners informing them that drilling has contaminated their water.
We get the impacts, Japan gets the gas
Japan buys into US shale gas boom
By Jonathan Soble in Tokyo and Guy Chazan
This explains why so many Japanese news stations have been in the Eagle Ford Shale recently. Most of the stations did not want to learn about impacts or talk to people who are suffering. They wanted happy stories for happy Japanese people who will happily cook their noodles and warm their buns using Texas gas. Only one group is interested in the impacts.
On Friday, while Texans were too busy being happy about the weekend, Obama approved another permit to export our domestic fracked gas.
Energy Department Authorizes Second Proposed Facility to Export Liquefied Natural Gas
The reason for exporting is to relieve the current gas glut, drive prices back up and increase profits of the frackers.
US eases natural gas glut with second export terminal (+video)
This contract is for 20 years to export up to 1.4 billion cubic feet per day. Two of Japan’s largest utilities have contracts to buy LNG from the Texas facility for 20 years.
A massive infrastructure buildout and, with the rapid decline rates of fracked shale gas wells, lots more drilling will be required to meet the demands of this contract.
Texans get the impacts to air, water and land, Japan gets the gas, the Fracking Mafia gets the profit.
What is wrong with you my fellow Texans? What happened to “Don’t Mess With Texas?”
UPDATE: I just want to remind you about this:
When Tim and Christine Ruggiero learned that drilling was imminent several hundred feet from their water well on their Wise County property, they called me and I advised them to immediately get a baseline water test. On September 24, 2009, they received the results that their water was clean and safe. Hydraulic fracturing began on the Ruggiero property on November 30, 2009. A post fracking water sample was taken in March 2010, and on March 26, they were notified that their water was contaminated with very high levels of MTBE. MTBE is an additive in diesel fuel. A Congressional investigation found that between 2005 and 2009, 32 million gallons of diesel was used in hydraulic fracturing fluids in 19 states. Half of that–16 million gallons–was used in Texas.
Another UPDATE: The Dutch are having a lot of earthquakes but they have to keep drilling because they have contracts to export their gas for 20 years. Isn’t that too bad?
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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Please let me resist the “I told you so” jargon…. Please, please, please….
Oh hell! I freaking told you so. Everyone told you so. You’ve known all along that drilling was contaminating wells all over, not only Pa, but other states, too. Michael Krancer knew this, the frackers knew this, ergo the non-disclosure agreements…….
Now, BAN FRACKING EVERYWHERE!!!
The Ruggieros had a baseline water test that showed their water was clean and safe. After fracking they did a follow up test and their water had high levels of MTBE an additive in diesel fuel.
actually mtbe was used as an oxygenate for gasoline not diesel.
did the Ruggieros investigate the casing? as that is the usual problem from a well, not from fracking.
surprised you haven’t posted about this EPA study
“Study Finds No Evidence of Water Contamination from Shale Gas Drilling in Arkansas ”
“”Our results show no discernible impairment of groundwater quality in areas associated with natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in this region,” said Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.
The scientists sampled 127 shallow drinking water wells in areas overlying Fayetteville Shale gas production in north-central Arkansas. They analyzed the samples for major and trace elements and hydrocarbons, and used isotopic tracers to identify the sources of possible contaminants. The researchers compared the chemical composition of the contaminants to those found in water and gas samples from nearby shale gas drilling sites. ”
http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/news/study-finds-no-evidence-of-water-contamination-from-shale-gas-drilling-in-arkansas
“After a 16-month investigation, state regulators Monday said that natural gas fracking, contrary to highly publicized claims, isn’t to blame for high methane levels in three families’ drinking water in a northern Pennsylvania town”
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/29/pa-environment-agency-debunks-fracking-water-claim/#ixzz2TnF3ULQO
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
That Washington Times story is so confusing but my favorite part is learning about the nescient environmental radicals and the posturing pissants in the comments. Thanks for the link!
WCGasette recently posted..Energy Security from Shale Gas? Think Again…With Dr. Anthony Ingraffea
We can always count on Pal.
EPA on MTBE
“In 2005, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act that removed the oxygenate requirement for reformulated gasoline (RFG). At the same time, Congress also instituted a renewable fuel standard. In response, refiners made a wholesale switch removing MTBE and blending fuel with ethanol. According to EPA’s RFG Survey Data, MTBE has not been used in significant quantities in RFG areas since 2005. A similar decrease in MTBE use has also been observed in conventional gasoline areas. ”
http://www.epa.gov/mtbe/gas.htm