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David Cameron’s constituency safe from fracking as election looms – 200 MPs are not so lucky
David Cameron’s constituency safe from fracking as election looms – 200 MPs are not so lucky
Half of prime minister David Cameron’s cabinet face having their water reserves fracked under the controversial Infrastructure Bill but it remains unclear if Cameron’s own Oxfordshire constituency would also be subject to fracking.
More than 220 Tory and Lib Dem MPs and their constituents risk fracking firms drilling through sensitive water reserves in their respective areas, reveals analysis by GreenpeaceUK.
The findings were published just days before MPs cast their first vote on the Infrastructure Bill, which currently fails to ban fracking near groundwater reserves, or aquifers, and would see shale gas companies allowed to drill underneath people’s houses.
It follows a petition by environmental campaigners urging the prime minister to rethink his “all out” support for fracking. The petition was handed into No. 10 Downing Street this week with more than a quarter of a million signatures.
“Whether MPs are in favour or against fracking, protecting Britain’s major sources of drinking water from this risky industry should be a no-brainer,” said Simon Clydesdale, energy campaigner for Greenpeace.
“You simply don’t take chances with such a vital and irreplaceable resource, especially when evidence of harmful impacts from fracking keeps growing.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
‘Strong correlation’ between quakes and fracking in Kansas – official
‘Strong correlation’ between quakes and fracking in Kansas – official
Geologists in the state of Kansas now say that a recent string of mysterious earthquakes may have been caused by pumping chemicals into the ground as part of the controversial gas and oil extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Geologists in the state of Kansas say that a recent string of mysterious earthquakes may have been caused by pumping chemicals into the ground as part of the controversial gas and oil extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Rick Miller, a geophysicist and senior scientist for the Kansas Geological Survey, told the Lawrence Journal-World recently that he believes the injection of fracking chemicals into the earth has been a catalyst for the quakes.
“We can say there is a strong correlation between the disposal of saltwater and the earthquakes,” Miller told the paper.
The Journal-World first published their piece with Miller over the weekend, and it reported that state geologists now say for the first time that fracking is responsible for recent tremors.
On Monday – two days after the paper published its report – the Wichita Eagle reported that four small quakes occurred in the southern part of the state and through neighboring Oklahoma earlier that morning.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
New—and Worrisome—Contaminants Emerge From Oil and Gas Wells
New—and Worrisome—Contaminants Emerge From Oil and Gas Wells
Researchers find alarming levels of ammonium and iodide in fracking wastewater released into Pennsylvania and West Virginia streams.
Two hazardous chemicals never before known as oil and gas industry pollutants – ammonium and iodide – are being released into Pennsylvania and West Virginia waterways from the booming energy operations of the Marcellus shale, a new study shows.
The toxic substances, which can have a devastating impact on fish, ecosystems, and potentially, human health, are extracted from geological formations along with natural gas and oil during both hydraulic fracturing and conventional drilling operations, said Duke University scientists in a study published today in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
The chemicals then are making their way into streams and rivers, both accidentally and through deliberate release from treatment plants that were never designed to handle these contaminants, the researchers said.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
A Camp Amid the Ruins
A Camp Amid the Ruins
Well, the Fates were apparently listening last week. As I write this, stock markets around the world are lurching through what might just be the opening moves of the Crash of 2015, whipsawed by further plunges in the price of oil and a range of other bad economic news; amid a flurry of layoffs and dropping rig counts, the first bankruptcy in the fracking industry has been announced, with more on their way; gunfire in Paris serves up a brutal reminder that the rising spiral of political violence I traced in last week’s post is by no means limited to North American soil. The cheerleaders of business as usual in the media are still insisting at the top of their lungs that America’s new era of energy independence is still on its way; those of my readers who recall the final days of the housing bubble that burst in 2008, or the tech-stock bubble that popped in 2000, will recognize a familiar tone in the bluster.
It’s entirely possible, to be sure, that central banks and governments will be able to jerry-rig another round of temporary supports for the fraying architecture of the global economy, and postpone a crash—or at least drag out the agony a bit longer. It’s equally possible that other dimensions of the crisis of our age can be forestalled or postponed by drastic actions here and now. That said, whether the process is fast or slow, whether the crunch hits now or a bit further down the road, the form of technic society I’ve termed abundance industrialism is on its way out through history’s exit turnstile, and an entire world of institutions and activities familiar to all of us is going with it.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
New Research Links Scores of Earthquakes to Fracking Wells Near a Fault in Ohio
New Research Links Scores of Earthquakes to Fracking Wells Near a Fault in Ohio
Not long after two mild earthquakes jolted the normally steady terrain outside Youngstown, Ohio, last March, geologists quickly decided that hydraulic fracturing operations at new oil-and-gas wells in the area had set off the tremors.
Now a detailed study has concluded that the earthquakes were not isolated events, but merely the largest of scores of quakes that rattled the area around the wells for more than a week.
The study, published this week in The Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, indicates that hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, built up subterranean pressures that repeatedly caused slippage in an existing fault as close as a half-mile beneath the wells.
The number and intensity of fracking-related quakes have risen as the practice has boomed. In Oklahoma, for example, quakes have increased sharply in recent years, including the state’s largest ever, a magnitude 5.7 tremor, in 2011. Both state and federal experts have said fracking is contributing to the increase there, not only because of the fracking itself, but also because of the proliferation of related wells into which fracking waste is injected. Those injection wells receive much more waste, and are filled under high pressure more often, than oil or gas wells, and the sheer volume of pressurized liquids has been shown to widen cracks in faults, raising the chances of slippage and earthquakes.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Fracking in the UK: What to Expect in 2015 | DeSmogBlog
Fracking in the UK: What to Expect in 2015 | DeSmogBlog.
The current UK coalition government has overseen the greatest fossil fuel boomsince the discovery of North Sea oil, but the controversy that surrounds shale has made it an interesting factor in the run-up to this year’s general election. Here’s what to expect.
More Fracking
The government has shown absolutely no evidence that it is willing to slow down its committed march towards the commercial development of shale gas.
For example, the government recently approved amendments to the infrastructure bill which, amidst heavy public resistance, will allow fracking companies to extract shale from right underneath people’s homes.
This is irrespective of a wide range of academic reports listing both health and environmental implications, as well as direct human rights inflictions.
Chancellor George Osborne also pledged a further £35 million in the Autumn Statement towards the development of shale gas, with £5 million in particular dedicated to twisting the public’s arm on the matter.
Petroleum Truth Report: David Hughes Weighs In on The Fracking Fallacy Debate
Petroleum Truth Report: David Hughes Weighs In on The Fracking Fallacy Debate.
In the current debate about the Nature article “The Fracking Fallacy,” the discussion has focused on estimates of cumulative production of shale gas plays by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and The Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas (UT/BEG).
David Hughes provides another estimate in his recent post “Fracking Fracas: The Trouble with Optimistic Shale Gas Projections by the U.S. Department of Energy,” a summary of his comprehensive study of all U.S. shale plays Drilling Down published by The Post Carbon Institute.
The Fracking Fallacy debate is important because it casts doubt on the reliability of government estimates of our natural gas supply. If U.S. gas production is in decline by the early 2020s as described in the Nature article, or sooner as I suspect, then important policy decisions about the export of natural gas and the retirement of coal-fired electric power plants have been based on questionable information.
Cumulative production estimates are interesting but do not address the economics of shale plays. Proven reserves provide a more meaningful estimate because they supposedly represent volumes of oil and gas that can be produced commercially at a particular price.
The Dangerous Economics of Shale Oil | Peak Prosperity
The Dangerous Economics of Shale Oil | Peak Prosperity.
For years, we’ve been warning here at PeakProsperity.com that the economics of the US ‘shale revolution’ were suspect. Namely, that they’ve only been made possible by the new era of ‘expensive’ oil (an average oil price of between $80-$100 per barrel). We’ve argued that many players in the shale industry simply wouldn’t be able to operate profitably at lower prices.
Well, with oil prices now suddenly sub-$60 per barrel, we’re about to find out.
Using the traditional corporate income statement, it is difficult to determine if shale drilling companies make money. There are a lot of moving parts, some deliberate obfuscation at some companies, and the massive decline rates make analysis difficult – since so much of reported profitability depends on assumptions made regarding depreciation and depletion.
So, can shale oil be profitable? If so, at what price? And under what conditions?
I try to deconstruct all this here.
Technology
A shale well consists of a vertical shaft that drives down into the earth to get to the right geological layer where the oil is located. Then the shaft bends 90 degrees, and extends horizontally 5000-10000 feet. It is in the horizontal section where the magic takes place. At intervals along the horizontal section, the “frac stages” happen, each of which fracture the surrounding rock to release the oil locked inside the rock.
As New York Bans Fracking, Calls for Moratorium in Pennsylvania Grow Stronger | DeSmogBlog
As New York Bans Fracking, Calls for Moratorium in Pennsylvania Grow Stronger | DeSmogBlog.
This week, New York Governor Cuomo announced that his state would ban fracking, due in large part to concerns about impacts on public health. But right across the border in Pennsylvania, one of the fastest-moving shale booms in the country still proceeds at breakneck speed.
While Governor-elect Tom Wolfcampaigned on promises to tax shale gas extraction, evidence continued to grow that Pennsylvania has struggled to police the drilling industry or even keep tabs on its activities. A scathing report issued in July by State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale found that record-keeping was “egregiously poor,” and environmental regulators do “not have the infrastructure in place to meet the continuing demands placed upon the agency by expanded shale gas development.”
For the past several years, Pennsylvania has had a history of lax regulation of the shale rush and its impacts on drinking water. For example, in 2011, the state madenational headlines for allowing shale wastewater laced with toxic and radioactive materials to be discharged after incomplete treatment into rivers and streams that were not capable of fully diluting the waste, according to internal EPA documents. Even now, toxic waste from the fracking industry is only tracked via industry self-reporting, which a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation found has led to major gaps in tracking and reporting.
Breaking: Fracking Permit Issued in Louisiana’s St. Tammany Parish | DeSmogBlog
Breaking: Fracking Permit Issued in Louisiana’s St. Tammany Parish | DeSmogBlog.
The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a drilling permitfor Helis Oil and Gas today, bringing the company one step closer to realizing its ambition to frack in St. Tammany Parish.
Public outcry against fracking in St. Tammany Parish, an area known for its pristine water and picturesque wetlands 40 miles east of New Orleans, was not enough to sway the state agency. But the public’s input has led to unprecedented conditions being attached to the permit.
During a public hearing on the permit in November, representatives for Helis Oil made promises about measures above and beyond current regulations, including air and water monitoring. Lisa Jordan, legal counsel for the town of Abita Springs, asked if Helis would make those conditions legally binding during her cross examination. The representatives claimed none of them had the authority to make the conditions binding, that only a Helis Oil employee could do that.
“The level of disdain the company has for the citizens has been fairly clear all along,” Jordan told DeSmogBlog. But she was still surprised no one from the company came to the meeting. When she asked, “Is anyone here from Helis Oil?,” there was no answer.
New York fracking ban reverberates nationally | Al Jazeera America
New York fracking ban reverberates nationally | Al Jazeera America.
NEW YORK — The news took even the most seasoned environmental activists by surprise: after years of review, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that New York State would ban hydraulic fracturing.
“I can barely contain myself,” said Nadia Steinzor, the eastern coordinator for national non-profit Earthworks. “Even though Cuomo recently said he was going to make a clear decision, we were not expecting something as exciting and straightforward as this.”
New York State’s decision comes two years after the state’s Department of Health initiated a review of the possible health impacts of hydraulic fracturing, a process in which thousands of gallons of water is mixed with chemicals and sand and pumped deep into the earth to break up gas-rich shale rock formations. The process has been approved in dozens of states across the U.S. and has often been touted by supporters as an economic boon to struggling regions, including next door in Pennsylvania.
New York’s decision is particularly significant because the Marcellus and Utica shale regions, two of the most productive gas plays in the world, lie underneath the state. While there is some debate over the economic benefits of fracking, there’s little doubt that if New York were to legalize the practice it could have reaped billions in revenue and created hundreds or thousands of jobs. By banning the practice, Cuomo has become one of the first state leaders to endorse the idea that the potential health and environmental impacts of fracking outweigh the potential economic benefits. Vermont is the only other state with a ban on fracking, although Vermont doesn’t sit atop shale.
New York Governor Cuomo Does Saudi Bidding, Bans Fracking In NY State | Zero Hedge
New York Governor Cuomo Does Saudi Bidding, Bans Fracking In NY State | Zero Hedge.
Having missed the entire shale boom, and with heavily-indebted shale companies now scrambling to boost liquidity or else face bankruptcy if crude prices remain at current levels, moments ago New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday his administration would prohibit hydraulic fracturing statewide, citing health concerns and calling the economic benefits to drilling there limited. “I cannot support high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the great state of New York,” acting health commissioner Howard Zucker said, adding that he wouldn’t allow his own children to live near a fracking site. He said the “cumulative concerns” about fracking “give me reason to pause.”
It only took him 6 years to get to the bottom of said “concerns.” That, and perhaps a phone call and an envelope from one or more Saudi princes.
While fracking wasn’t explicitly illegal before, it is now: the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will issue a legally-binding recommendation prohibiting fracking as a result of Mr. Zucker’s recommendation.
As reported by the WSJ, New York’s environment commissioner, Joe Martens, said that his agency’s concerns about the impact of fracking would so limit the area that could be drilled in the 12 million acre Marcellus Shale that the economic benefits of drilling there would be limited.
“The economic benefits [of fracking] are clearly far lower than originally forecast,” Mr. Martens said.
Mr. Cuomo himself said the decision was made by his commissioners, not him. “I don’t think I even have a role here,” he said at a news conference.
Great Unwind of Oil-and-Gas Junk Bonds to Defund Fracking? | Wolf Street
Great Unwind of Oil-and-Gas Junk Bonds to Defund Fracking? | Wolf Street.
The price of oil plunged once again off the chart on Monday and early Tuesday. At one point, West Texas Intermediate traded below $54 per barrel, though it soon bounced off. Crude is down nearly 50% since June. And over-indebted energy companies with cash flows that range from increasingly uncertain to completely demolished are suddenly contemplating just how deep the abyss might be.
The below-investment-grade bonds these risky companies issued with enormous hoopla and hype to fund the shale revolution and offshore drilling projects, lovingly dubbed “junk bonds,” had been sold to investors on the premise that oil would sell for ever increasing prices in the future, with the understanding that this might allow the company to make interest payments on time and raise new debt to pay off the old debt when it matures.
Even the still uncertain economics of fracking – the expense of drilling coupled with the horrendous decline rates – or the potential environmental consequences and subsequent backlash were elegantly shrugged off on Wall Street, given the ever increasing price of oil.
Chemicals from fracking, acidizing, and gravel packing make us sick – Faces of Fracking
Chemicals from fracking, acidizing, and gravel packing make us sick – Faces of Fracking.
It is well-known that many of the chemicals used in fracking, acidizing, and gravel packing are harmful to our bodies. Just look at the above graphic. What hasn’t been so clear is the evidence that highlights incidences where these chemicals have actually made people sick.
There are two main factors why we still don’t have a comprehensive overview of the health impacts of fracking: industry secrecy (there are laws that protect companies from disclosing the chemicals they use) and government inaction (for example, the EPA has backed off several studies to investigate the health impacts of fracking). Additional factors compound the problem: non-disclosure agreements, sealed court records, and legal settlements (all which prevent families and their doctors from talking about how they got sick).
Nevertheless, the stack of evidence that tells us that fracking and similar techniques does make us ill is piling up. Based on peer-reviewed studies, accident reports, and investigative articles, we know now that fracking can not be practiced without endangering human health. Chemicals can and do leak from well casings and get into the water supply. Chemicals released into the atmosphere worsen our air quality. Chemical spills from pipelines get in the soil we use to grow food.
Hard Times in a Boom Town: Pennsylvanians Describe Costs of Fracking | DeSmogBlog
Hard Times in a Boom Town: Pennsylvanians Describe Costs of Fracking | DeSmogBlog.
If you’re looking for the shale gas boom, northeastern Pennsylvania is the place to start.
The Marcellus is the largest and fastest growing shale gas play in the U.S. and more than half of its 50 most productive wells were drilled in Susquehanna County in the northeast. Susquehanna and neighboring Bradford County produced 41 percent of all Marcellus gas this June.
While drilling is down in other shale gas plays across the US, with major oil companies selling off their stakes and CEO‘s expressing regret for buying in, the Marcellus has bucked some of the downward trends so far.
A recent report from the Post Carbon Institute, “Drilling Deeper: A Reality Check onU.S. Government Forecasts for a Lasting Tight Oil and Shale Gas Boom,” has grave warnings about the Energy Information Administration’s figures nationwide, concluding that two-fifths of the shale gas the agency expects to be produced between now and 2040 will likely never materialize. While many high-profile shale gas plays have already peaked in terms of gas production per well, the Marcellus appears to be an outlier in terms of productivity, researcher David Hughes concludes.
Enormous amounts of shale gas are being produced in Pennsylvania. In the first six months of this year, drillers here pumped 2 trillion cubic feet of gas. And much of this gas came from the Marcellus shale’s twin sweet spots, in the Northeast and Southwest corners of the state.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
