Some of the Fracking Story

Is Natural Gas Drilling Truly a Clean Alternative?
Today the environmental non-profit, Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CFB) released it’s annual report titled “State of the Bay 2010” which highlights the health and quality of the water of the Chesapeake Bay and it’s extensive watershed that stretches into several mid-Atlantic states. One central focus of the report was the potential environmental risks and hazards of the recent boom of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale Formation (MSF), done through a process called Hydraulic-Fracturing.

Hydraulic-Fracturing or more commonly known as “Fracking” is an extraction process that involves drilling a well, filling it with water, sand, a concoction of chemicals and heavy metals to break through the layer of shale to access and release the gas deposits. Proponents of the drilling declare that is an environmentally safe and a non-invasive process to access the “clean” fossil fuel of natural gas. However environmentalists and environmental experts have expressed deep concern and protest, stating that the toxic, liquid by-product of the process has caused environmental damage to waterways and contaminates ground water posing serious human health risks.

The CFB report also highlights the alarming number of permit violations committed by various drilling companies. It stated:
 

“The Pennsylvania LandTrust Association reported last summer that since 2008 there have been 1,641 permit violations, of which 1,056 were deemed ‘likely to harm the environment.’ Preliminary studies by the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences suggest that water quality may be degraded simply by the sheer number of well pads within a given region.

Amid these permit violations are accidents and disasters that induce irreparable environmental harm, such as a toxic fracking waste water spill outside of Wellsboro Pa. that happened last month, leaving a farm and it’s 28 cattle quarantined for a year. The Wellsboro Gazette reported:

“This spill was initially estimated at more than 13,000 gallons and has polluted an unnamed tributary to Sugar Run and a spring,” said DEP Northcentral Regional Director Nels Taber. “There are also two private drinking water wells in the vicinity that will be sampled for possible impacts.”

The “Clean” Dirty Profits

The Marcellus Shale Formation (MSF) stretches from Western New York through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia to West Virginia. It supposedly holds natural gas reserves that could meet the country’s demand for energy for roughly a century, meaning vast quantities and vast potential for profit.

Branded as the “clean” alternative to other fossil fuels, natural gas is becoming a much more profitable and less costly resource to extract. Major drilling companies that are now operating in the MSF such as Halliburton are reporting substantial rises in profits as domestic drilling in the MSF are offsetting stagnating activity abroad of other fossil fuel extraction and production. Halliburton stated it had it’s net profit nearly double since last year from $266 million to $566 million. This profit drastically overshadows the meager hand outs that companies like Haliburton distribute when they lease the land for drilling from farmers, and average citizens with small land-ownings. In western Pa. they offer $2,000-$4,000 per acre.

The company once headed by former vice president Dick Cheney, was able to lobby a ‘loop-hole’ in 2005 to a congressional Energy Act that was passed exempting Fracking from being limited or prohibited by the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Acts. This has allowed for the companies to keep secret or not to disclose the list of chemicals used in the Fracking process. Thus making it difficult for physicians and health officials to pinpoint a myriad of potential health risks that may be caused by the chemicals contaminating water. Health experts have also been noted to state that the long term health effects will most likely not be evident for some time.

No Fracking Way!

In August of this past year the New York State Senate decided to pass a year-long moratorium on natural gas drilling to last until the next spring, prompted by strong grass-roots organizing and activism as well as the unfolding BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. However at the final signing of the moratorium by the outgoing Democratic Governor David Patterson, a clear loop-hole was left. This was noted in a Huffington Post Article:
 

“A coalition of about a dozen environmental groups released a statement praising Paterson's moratorium while warning that it creates a "loophole" that industry can exploit. That is, it doesn't apply to vertical wells, ‘exactly the kind of wells that were responsible for ruining nine square miles of aquifer and poisoning the drinking water of more than a dozen families in Dimock, Pa.,’ the groups said.”

The town of Dimock, Pa is probably most exemplary of the effects of natrual gas drilling as it was featured in the recently released, critical documentary film called “Gasland” by Josh Fox. The film chronicles the rise and expansion of natural gas drilling and its harmful effects to human health and the environment. It provokes the viewer to action, especially with dramatic scenes such as one that shows a man’s contaminated water exploding as he lights it when it comes out of his faucet.  

More and more local residents, environmental activists and concerned citizens are getting involved to stop the expansion of Fracking in their areas and regions. This local organizing has prompted some over-stepping from the authorities such as reported spying by Homeland security of Anti-Fracking groups. Internal bulletins of the department were leaked to an Anti-Fracking listserv and reporters of the Philadelphia CIty Paper and Propublica broke the story, prompting the Governor of Pa. to publicly apologize for the spying stating that he was “appalled”. The bulletin was suggesting that opponents of Fracking were “extremist, militant, and criminal”, also suggesting and using the language that they were “violent terrorists”.

Of course the claims of the confidential bulletin were unsubstantiated, and were used to criminalize opponents to the energy companies engaged in Fracking. This link cannot be more clear with the fact that former Pennsylvania Governor and first appointed secretary of Homeland Security by George W. Bush in 2002, Tom Ridge is the owner of two consulting firms that have contracts with the pro-industry Marcellus Shale Coalition. Ridge was the key speaker at a breakfast hosted earlier this month by the Wellsboro Pa. chamber of commerce as publicly supporting the expansion of natural gas drilling calling it a “gift from Mother Nature”. Outside were dozens of protesters demanding an end to drilling.

This upcoming January 18th is Inauguration Day for the incoming governor of Pa. Tom Corbett. It will be held in Harrisburg near the capitol building. This will be happening the same time as activists will be converging to rally against Fracking demanding:

1. A moratorium on further drilling on private and public lands in PA
2. Protect our water from the effects of drilling and fracking.
3. Proper air quality enforcement standards.
4. Regular inspections of all gas wells.
5. End "fast track" permitting of new wells in Pennsylvania