Fracking

How much caution is too much? This video from 2011 shows the city council of Pittsburgh discussing their position on hydraulic fracturing in the city. Councilman Doug Shields is fearless in his condemnation of the companies that have fouled the water in many areas. Another council member discusses the health emergency that fracking constitutes. Despite their caution, very high levels of radiation from frack water were found in a Pennsylvania stream in 2013, and have since.

News

West Virginia Gas Companies Wined and Dined Lawmakers Before Scoring Favorable Fracking Legislation

Groups sue EPA over drilling and fracking waste

Shale gas is one of the least sustainable ways to produce electricity, research finds

Bill Huston: Depleted uranium perf guns used to frack

bill huston: bomb trucks, also called "virtual pipelines" (if they can't lay a pipe, they will use trucks - this is unregulated and highly dangerous!)

the urgent case for a ban on fracking

Fracking Study Finds Low Birth Weights Near Natural Gas Drilling Sites

gazette letter: gas pipelines, fracking threaten west virginians

19 Proposed Fracking Pipelines Would Push Us Past Point of No Return, Report Finds

Over 60 VA Candidates Reject Campaign Contributions from Toxic Corporation Dominion Energy

ohio court overturns law preventing cities from voting on anti-fracking measures

EPA's Study of Hydraulic Fracturing and Its Potential Impact on Drinking Water Resources

Report: watershed scale impacts from surface water disposal of oil and gas wastewater in pennsylvania

New Webinar on Fracking and Food: What's in my Food? from Halt the Harm network

Gas Glut and Slowdown in Gas Industry Creates Open Market - Gas Industry Depressed - a Bloomberg article

Citizens' Guide to Fracking and water-related permits available now!

No timeline for capping of blown well

Series of Earthquakes Linked to Fracking in Utica Region

The Marcellus Shale Documentary Project documents the social, environmental and economic effects of unconventional natural gas (methane) extraction (commonly known as "fracking") within the borders of Pennsylvania.

Compilation of Physicochemical and Toxicological Information About Hydraulic Fracturing-Related Chemicals (Draft Database)

Natural Gas Operations from a Public Health Perspective

Gas Leak Causes Evacuation in Perry County, OH

Powerpoint - Fracked Natural Gas: Bridge Fuel, or Bridge to Nowhere?

Infographic: The True Cost of Fracking

Former Gov. Ed Rendell: ‘I made a mistake’ on shale gas

Obama Administration Permitted 1,200 Offshore Fracks in Gulf of Mexico

How IOGCC Spawned the Lawsuit That Just Overturned BLM Fracking Regulations on Public Lands

Largest Sources of Methane Pollution Identified

Rural Pennsylvanians Say Fracking ‘Just Ruined Everything’

Nuclear waste dumped illegally in KY

NPR: Radioactive Waste from West Virginia Sent to Irvine, KY

Hot Mess: How Radioactive Fracking Waste Wound Up Near Homes And Schools

Natural Gas Already Losing to Renewables

Endocrine Disruption and Unconventional Oil and Gas Production: A Teleconference Series

Lawsuit Filed Against EPA for Oil and Gas Waste Exemptions not Updated to reflect changes in gas drilling due to high-volume horizontal fracking

Attendees feel unheard and frustrated after DEP hearing on injection well

High Levels of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Found Near Fracking Wastewater Site

Information related to Theo Colburn's Book Our Stolen Future here

New research paper studies the adequacy of setbacks for fracking operations

Fracking Brings Ammonium and Iodide to Local Waterways
Read the full study and others on fracking here

Opinion: Natural Gas not the Boom We Want

EPA Fracking Study Faulted by Science Panel Citing Failed Wells

Not Your Granddaddy's Gas Well

It's called unconventional for a reason. Although fracking has been used in some vertical wells, the old wells were shallow (less than 1/4 mile in depth) and did not take up nearly as much space, use nearly as many chemicals, or consume nearly as much water. Drillers bore at least a mile under the surface vertically, then go off horizontally, sending water, chemicals, and sand out of the drill at extremely high pressure, creating fissures in the rock that can allow fluid to migrate in all directions and find unknown fault lines. This carries with it seismic hazards for pipelines and other underground infrastructure. A typical horizontal well pad can take up to 25 acres of surface with access roads, storage ponds, well heads, and equipment storage. This is not the 1/2 - 2 acres taken up by the old style vertical wells. This is a major disturbance, with noise, air pollution, light pollution, traffic, and sometimes toxic spills, leaks, and runoff heading for surface or groundwater resources, and sometimes private water wells. The waste water must then be disposed of, usually underground, in abandoned wells or other places, where it can find its way into fissures and unknown fault lines, causing groundwater contamination and earthquakes. The Marcellus stratum is highly radioactive, containing isotopes such as radium-226 and -228, uranium-235 and -238, thorium-232, and lead-214, and this toxic water has been found in Pennsylvania water. Make no mistake, these alpha and beta particles are very real health hazards, we are finding them more and more in our water supply, and they cannot be removed by conventional means.

The Problem

The infrastructure for natural gas includes wells and well pads, pipelines, injection wells for waste, industrial landfills or special "cells" within municipal landfills, and compressor stations. All along this system are opportunities for toxins to be released into the environment. Loose regulations, lack of oversight, weak penalties, and lack of enforcement together put our communities at risk for very large, and often unsolvable, problems. As individuals who care about our state, it is often up to us to watch, monitor, report incidents, and follow up with the appropriate authorities. For a community that has been suffering from extractive industry oppression disguised as opportunity, it is difficult to break away from the mentality that has kept our people enslaved for over 150 years. But if we are to preserve the state's environment, culture, heritage, and public health, and secure our future, this is exactly what we must do.

This interview with Tony Ingraffea gives a great explanation of fracking's inherent problems.

Reduced property values & Other economic impacts

A horizontal well pad near your home, whether or not it is on your land, can reduce your property's value up to 25% or more by some estimates, and make it harder to get a new mortgage or refinance. West Virginia is one of the states where much of the land was split into surface and minerals around the turn of the century. Read more about your rights as a surface owner here. Landowners have to continue to pay property taxes on their land, while being restricted as to its use.

Water consumption and contamination

Drilling a well using hydrofracking methods in the Marcellus uses up to 9 million gallons of water, and more in the Utica wells, which are deeper. This water is laced with carcinogenic compounds and radionuclides, present in the shale. Radon gas is naturally occurring and comes from all black shales. The deeper you go, the more radon there is. This and other radioactive elements are present in both the flowback water and the drilling mud that return from the drilling hole. These must be disposed of in disposal wells, where they are supposedly far away from water sources. As we will see, this is not always the case. Learn more about NORMs here.

Climate change and fracking

It is now known that methane is the most potent greenhouse gas, and gas drilling is the greatest source of this climate warming gas. Additionally, leaks from infrastructure in urban areas and other downstream sources contribute in much greater measure than has been previously understood.

A cultural shift

When we consider the large-scale impact on our land, air, water, and roads, we must also realize that negative impact on these things bring negative impacts to our communities in terms of safety and quality of life. A lack of clean water, a healthy environment, and sustainable economic opportunity makes it less pleasant to live here, and will have a negative effect on business development and the composition of the community in general. Many people affected by fracking and pipelines are selling out and leaving the state, being replaced by extraction workers from other states. This changes the economic, demographic, and cultural landscape, and is a drain on our collective mind. It is time for a paradigm shift.

Learn more

More dangers from gas drilling are coming to light all the time, such as two new contaminants recently discovered in fracking water. Increased regulations, budget, and personnel are needed in WV to protect the public health from these dangers. A new study by the EPA has found that fracking has indeed led to water contamination. Ken Dufalla, of the Isaak Walton League, has found extremely high levels of radiation in Greene County, PA streams. See the informational video here.

A letter to Governor Manchin outlines the problems and possible solutions to West Virginia's water-energy conflict (OHVEC website).

Articles

Fracking Linked to Increased Infant Mortality
A Dirty Dozen Reasons to Oppose Fracking
Fracking Poses Threats to Public Health
Life in a fracking county (Doddridge)
Producing Gas Wells by State

Chemical hazards

Fracking happens deep in the subsurface (5,000 - 12,000 feet, depending on the formation) after drilling the hole. Sand and chemicals are used in a toxic cocktail, under great pressure, to fracture the shale. A 2011 Congressional report identified 750 different chemicals, 29 of which are carcinogenic, in fracking water. About 20% of this water returns to the surface, where it must be "safely" disposed of. About 80% of it stays underground, where it can migrate into older, more shallow wells, groundwater, and even water and gas wells. Many of these chemicals are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Read more about the contents of frack water here.

The Waste Stream

Perhaps the worst problem of all in slickwater hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling is the waste stream it creates. Flowback contains chemicals, radioactivity, and high salinity brine that are all toxic to living things. This water must be disposed of underground, where it can cause earthquakes. If it is not disposed of properly, it can cause water contamination and resulting fish kills, creating illness for people in the area.

"Drilling mud" contains radioactivity from the shale and should be placed into an industrial landfill, but since we have none in WV, it goes into municipal landfills with special "cells." Leachate from these landfills then contains this radioactivity, which cannot be removed by any water treatment system. Ever. That means your water could be radioactive. It happened in the Pittsburgh area not long ago. Radium 226 and 228 at 60 times the "safe" level.

An example is happening right now in Fayette County, WV, where an injection well has been leaking into the local drinking water supply, Wolf Creek. The disposal site, which includes a deep waste well, several holding ponds, and storage tanks, sits on a hillside above the creek, and has been the site of a fight over its permit, revoked in 2014 and then renewed by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection in August. EDCs are associated with many health risks such as altered reproductive function in males and females, breast cancer, abnormal growth patterns and neurodevelopmental delays in children, as well as changes in immune function.

Air contamination

The diesel trucks used to carry water, pumps, and supplies to and from the frack site spew microfine particulates that have been found to be carcinogenic. This exposes workers on site, truck drivers, and people living near the sites. These trucks have to travel hundreds of trips in a day, or sit for hours at a staging area waiting to get onto the site, contaminating our air with hydrocarbons, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, etc. Short term exposure to high concentrations of diesel exhaust/particulate matter can cause headache,
dizziness, and irritation of the eye, nose and throat severe enough to distract or disable miners and other workers. Prolonged DE/DPM exposure can increase the risk of cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary and respiratory disease and lung cancer. Compressor stations, used to move gas through pipelines, bring their own air pollution.

Political forces

Because industry spends millions per year on lobbyists and campaign contributions, it is difficult to effect change in this political climate. Fossil fuel subsidies number in the billions of dollars annually. In addition to the Big Money that supports this infrastructure, the culture of poverty in which we find ourselves keeps us from developing alternative energy and diversifying our economy, as we should be. That is why Mountain Lakes Preservation Alliance exists - to provide information to the general public as well as public officials and policymakers, to support the right to clean water and a healthy environment. The only way to counter the huge money spent on supporting this toxic industry is political pressure from an educated populace.

More Information on the Hazards of Drilling

The links below are by no means exhaustive, but should start you on your search for information.

$frack pad$

Property Values

Fracking the American Dream: Reduced Property Values
How Fracking Decreases Property Value
How Fear of Fracking Can Decrease Property Values

Frack Tracker helps you locate frack wells in your area.

Tracking Fracking

Community taxation issues

Nearly $30M unaccounted for in PA

Water Issues

Toxic water enters streams and rivers through spills, leaks, and leachate from landfills, sometimes finding its way into municipal water supplies, where it cannot be removed.

West Virginia's government recently accepted bids from drilling companies to develop gas from shale underneath the Ohio River. Read what OVEC has to say about that here.

Export issues

LNG market consolidation necessary due to market downturn

$fracking chemicals$

Chemicals and Radiation

Toxic Wastewater Dumped in Streets and Rivers at Night: the Allen Shipman Case Testing has revealed that residual waste is still present in the affected streams.

We know it doesn't happen all the time, but sometimes a truck driver with a load of waste water (referred to as "brine") will decide he's too tired to drive the long way to the injection well site or the waste water recycling plant and just let it go into a stream on a quiet road. Your mother told you not to drink the water and she was right!

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news

Exxon's XTO caps leaking Ohio gas well, 20 days after blowout​

learn

​Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Oil and Natural Gas Operations: Potential Environmental Contamination and Recommendations to Assess Complex Environmental Mixtures

Want to learn more about fracking? See the Sierra Club Beyond Natural Gas Campaign Fracking Fact Sheet here.