So what is fracking?
I do know a little about it. They
say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, so keep your distance. This could get ugly or stupid or both. To start, I know that fracking involves
drilling for natural gas. Without even
checking Wikipedia I know that fracking is shorthand terminology for hydraulic
fracturing. Most of the natural gas
produced in the past was found in pockets of relatively porous sedimentary rock,
such as sandstone. Gas producers would
drill down into the earth, hit a pocket of gas and pump it out. Most of this “easy gas” has been discovered
and extracted. Relatively recently,
natural gas has been discovered in shale formations that are far less porous
than sandstone. In order to release the gas
from these tight formations, the shale needs to be broken up or fractured. Then the gas can move through the fractured
rock to the extractive piping from which it can be pumped out of the ground.
Unlike crude oil which needs a complex refining process
to clean it up and break it down into useable components like gasoline,
kerosene and fuel oil, natural gas is relatively clean and ready to use. Also, burning natural gas for fuel produces
fewer greenhouse gases than oil or coal, which means its use should contribute less
to global climate change than those other fossil fuels. In that respect, you might expect that
environmentalists would be lining up to support fracking to increase our use of
natural gas.
So where is the problem?
Again, without doing much research I believe it mostly relates to
groundwater contamination. In order to
fracture these tight formations of shale, hydraulic fluids are pumped deep into
the earth under intense pressure. These
fluids consist principally of water and sand, but typically contain other
proprietary chemicals which may be hazardous.
Examples of such chemicals include acids and organic compounds, such as
ethylene glycol, i.e., anti-freeze.
The formations being fractured are usually well below stratigraphic
layers that produce drinking water. However,
if the well is poorly constructed it is possible for fluids to escape and to
potentially impact useable groundwater.
At the same time, there is a possibility that fracturing deep formations
will, in turn, lead to the fracturing of upper stratigraphic layers including
those containing useable groundwater, which could lead to a loss of the
groundwater resource.
I’ve attended a few seminars where energy companies have
explained the fracking process and why they believe it is environmentally
safe. As a former industry environmental
lawyer, I would like to believe that fracking can be done safely, because it
promises to provide an abundant source of energy. Safe recovery of natural gas could reduce
global warming and make the United States an energy exporter – two very
laudable objectives.
But in my experience I have seen that things don’t always
go as the engineers say they will.
Witness the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill disaster despite the involvement of a big
company (BP) that should have had good environmental programs. Additionally, drilling often is done by
small, thinly capitalized companies that are in the business for a quick
buck. These kinds of companies tend to
cut corners which worries me from the standpoint of environmental impact.
So I will try to keep an open mind as I educate myself
about fracking. I recognize that Gasland
Part II (I haven’t yet seen Part I) was made by people that strongly oppose
fracking. I recognize that there are
also resources put out there by industry and will try like a good jurist to
discern the truth by paying attention to what both sides are saying in this debate.
The stakes are high – the promise of cheap, abundant fuel
versus the high cost of resources damaged for all time. WTF – I just might learn something!
