Real Life Real Issues -- your questions about Marcellus Shale gas drilling and water

Friday, 13 May 2011 14:41

Real Life Real Issues -- your questions about Marcellus Shale gas drilling and water

Written by Scott LaMar, Director of Radio Smart Talk

Radio Smart Talk for Monday, May 16:

Researchers from Duke University released results of a study last week that found higher than normal amounts of methane gas in water wells located near Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New York. The gas industry refuted the study saying that it only surveyed 86 sites that weren't at random. The Duke study did not find fluids or chemicals used in the hydraulic fracking process that releases natural gas in well water.

It's just the latest salvo in the ever-growing controversy over what impact drilling has on the environment and specifically water supplies.

Monday's Radio Smart Talk will feature Dr. David Yoxtheimer, a hydrogeologist/extension associate with The Pennsylvania State University's Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research.

Also, The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is recommending some 50 changes to Pennsylvania's Oil and Gas Act to strengthen state law regulating gas drilling. We'll hear from that group as well.

LISTEN TO PROGRAM:

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# FrackTrack 2011-05-15 10:54

FrackTrack releases an Interactive Marcellus Shale Mapping Application and Social Networking website at http://www.fracktrack.org. Sign up today and show your elected officials that you're paying attention.

Our users can search for permit data, violations, waste and gas production information on our easy to use interface. Website developers can also embed our maps into their applications by visiting http://www.fracktrack.org/developers.php

Landowner groups can organize and keep one another informed about gas development activity in their areas at http://www.fracktrack.org/action.php So sign up today and stay informed.

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# Robert Colgan 2011-05-16 07:55

Gas well drilling on this scale is major industrializati on.

Yet PA did not do an Environmental Impact Study.... ...analogous to going on a very involved journey without any planning, the sort of thing we see as mass migrations of people fleeing war areas.

Inevitably what happens, the failure to plan beforetime results in inability to obtain food, water, housing, medicines, transportation, and sickness and suffering results.

There is nothing trivial about Pennsylvania being industrialized.
It has never happened on such a scale or to such a depth of widespread involvement of land, water, and air quality.

Overriding is the Precautionary Principle of Science which states that unless the full effects are understood, one cannot morally act.

"Full effects" here may be the compromise of Penn's Woods for its human inhabitants.

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# Robert Colgan 2011-05-16 09:43

Ask Yoxtheimer again, Scott ----since Penn State is the leading cheerleader for the drilling, and he has been campaigning actively on behalf of the drilling------how the hell he can claim to be an unbiased academic?

He is clearly a shill... as is PSU. . .
who we need to hear from are not apologists for the industry but from people who do not have a dog in the hunt.

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# Bonnie 2011-05-16 09:59

This is a very emotional issue as well . the streams and forests of PA have been here forever and and are now endangered. tourists have come here to enjoy these areas and will stop coming . this is some of most pristine country in the USA and is being destroyed. Please do not allow any drillers to take any water from the Pine Creek and pristine native trout streams and no cutting of old growth forests.

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# TheProspector 2011-05-17 13:35

Scott LaMar says that there are two sides to the drilling argument. There are actually three. First, pro-drillers who would drill in their grandmother's front yards. All drilling is good to these guys. Second, environmentalis ts who want strict drilling regulations and enforcement for the Natural Gas industry. They tend to look askance at the claims of gas companies. This is where most Pennsylvanians reside. Third, anti-drillers who pretend to be environmentalis ts but want absolutely no drilling in their "back yard", however they still want gas piped in from Texas since they don't mind screwing up Texas' water.

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# Tony Luciano 2011-05-17 20:17

Has anyone brought up this aspect? If the method of pressurizing wells is periodic, POUNDING, as opposed to a static, NON-POUNDING method, shock waves emanating from the well casing would affect geologic structure along the whole well casing. The well casing will contain the pressure, but not the shock waves as long as it is in direct contact with the earth. It seems reasonable to assume shock waves emanating from a well casing could displace geologic structure at shallow depths, since shallow strata is not as compressed. I suspect the fracking method is periodic, and shock waves displace the strata at water bearing(shallow )depths sometimes releasing gasses. This theory is consistent with the intermittent occurrence of methane in ground water. If what I’m suggesting is true, the way to avoid the problem would be to isolate the well casing from surrounding earth down to a depth below the water table. No doubt easier said than done, but certainly affordable under these circumstances.

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