Posts Tagged ‘ gas drilling ’

Fracking Racking up Lawsuits (#Fracking #NIMBY)

May 23rd, 2011. By AbiK

This time we leave the Marcellus Shale region and set our sights a bit southwest, to Clinton—er, former Clinton—territory: Little Rock, AR. Seems folks there aren’t convinced that fracking’s the way to go to drill for natural gas—at least not in their backyard. Also seems like fracking’s become the NIMBY hot-button issue of the day, reminiscent of the tenor that swept the nation when the Three Mile Island core meltdown was hot and heavy in the news. NIMBY indeed.

The backyard in question here, however, happens to be government-owned land—namely the Ozark National Forest, and also Greers Ferry Lake. The plaintiffs, which are a collective of environmental groups and concerned citizens, are calling for three US government agencies (US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Forest Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers) to stop drilling operations from going forward until proper studies are done that show that fracking is not harmful to the environment.

Hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”) has been getting a fair amount of attention in the press lately—thanks in large part to the work that Public Citizenand other consumer advocacy groups have been doing. The issue with fracking is that the drilling process calls for massive amounts of water combined with chemicals—chemicals that have not fully been disclosed yet to the public by the oil companies—to be forced into the ground in order to facilitate (ie, by helping to “fracture” the underground) the release of the natural gas below.

Environmental groups, farmers and homeowners alike who live in areas where fracking is going on are concerned for the safety of their drinking water, their land—their very health. The EPA is conducting a study to assess the overall impact on water quality and human health—but those results are not available yet, and of course, there are plenty of oil-industry-backed or -initiated studies proclaiming the merits and safety of fracking. So bottom line, until the EPA study is available, anecdotal information—such as that of flammable tap water—doesn’t have too many folks grabbing a glass of their local water well’s finest with much confidence.

It’s that lack of information and lack of confidence that forms the backdrop to the current charges of the lawsuit. The plaintiffs’ allegations state that the number of wells in which drilling is already going on in the region surpasses the number that were estimated in 2005 by the BLM—and its the agencies listed as defendants in the lawsuit that are responsible for leasing the gas and issuing drilling licenses on land owned by the government. (thesuntimes.com)

Tags: Arkansas, environment, fracking, gas drilling, Greers Ferry Lake, hydraulic fracturing, Hydrofracking, Marcellus Shale, natural gas, Ozark National Forest, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service
Posted in Complaints/Comments, Environment, lawsuits | No Comments »

What is Fracking? Catchy Video Explains the Fracking Fuss

May 17th, 2011. By AbiK

 

If you haven’t seen the My Water’s on Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song) video, here’s a chance to check it out. It’s quick, but it delivers its message—and there’s something about the bobbing oil towers and retro “What the Frack is Going on…” sound that’s making me have some sort of Soul Train flashback moment.

Credit must be given to ProPublica and the students at NYU Studio 20 who set out to create a video to explain what hydraulic fracking is all about—or at least what the primary concern of anti-fracking groups is. You can also read more about hydraulic fracturing (nickname: fracking) on the following pages here at LawyersandSettlements.com…

Topic Page: Hydraulic Fracturing Water Contamination

EPA Gets Fracking on Study

Fracking and Flammable Tap Water? NY Says Hell No…for now

BP Spill, San Bruno Fire, Fracking…Time to Stop Blind Faith in Gas

On Shaky Ground? Fracking Lawsuits, Earthquakes and Bad Water (oh my)

With Focus on BP, Don’t Lose Sight of Fracking Issues

BP Experience Should Have us Catching a Fracking Clue

 

Tags: EPA, fracking, gas drilling, hydraulic fracturing, Marcellus Shale, natural gas, NYU Studio 20, ProPublica, The Fracking Song
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With Focus on BP, Don’t Lose Sight of Fracking Issues

July 12th, 2010. By AbiK

I’m sure you’ve been hearing about the new oil well cap that’s—possibly—going on the BP well today in the Gulf. It’s been top news all weekend—that, and of course Spain and Lance Armstrong. But crawling around in the background has been a little news story that you most likely missed. About another fossil fuel: natural gas. About Fracking. And, about cattle.

Yes, cattle.

First, some background. I’ve been posting about hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking“) in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia and how not everyone is thrilled that they’re living on top of a veritable gold mine of natural gas. Most of those who oppose fracking are concerned about the possibility of contamination of underground sources of drinking water (usdw). The idea behind fracking is that once a well is drilled into reservoir rock, a mixture of water and high viscosity fluid additives (i.e., chemicals) is injected into the rock to force the rock to fracture. A propping agent, like sand, is then pumped into the fractures to keep them open. The fractures then allow the natural gas to flow more freely to the production well that can then bring the gas to the surface.

Sounds simple enough. But then, what about those fractures? The process Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: fracking, gas drilling, hydraulic fracking, hydraulic fracturing, hydraulic-fracturing-water-contamination-epa-fracking-hydrofracking, natural gas
Posted in Environment | No Comments »