Comments for Environmental Impacts of Gas Well Drilling

Comment on Recently Asked Questions by Brian

Brian — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:47:03 +0000

In the defense of Cornell – I have heard reported from drillers the return is in the range of 20 to 40 %.

Comment on More on Explosion / Gas in Well Water by Brian

Brian — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:43:50 +0000

As a professional geologist, I like the grouting technique:
Where I have concerns are as follows:
1. Placement of casing and adequately separating the freshwater and saline, brine, or connate water.
2. Sealing off shallow gas deposits in the lower portion of the freshwater aquifer.
3. Applying to much pressure when hydrofracturing.
4. Not allowing enough time for grout to cure.
5. Making sure the annulus is properly grouted.

I discuss these in my blog.

Thanks

Brian Oram, PG
B.F. Environmental Consultants Inc.
http://www.bfenvironmental.com

Comment on Pa. finds gas-drilling firm in violation of Water Laws by Drilling Fluids

Drilling Fluids — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:43:45 +0000

It is said that the process of drilling has got various hazardous effects on our environment. We should come forward to stop this from happening further.

Comment on Level of Air Quality Impacts from Drilling Debated by Drilling Equipment

Drilling Equipment — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:32:11 +0000

Nowadays, few people dispute that air pollution occurs from the use of diesel-powered drilling rigs, pick-up trucks, tractor-trailers, and earth moving equipment, in addition to the particulate matter dispersed from dust, natural gas flaring, and gas dehydration & separation equipment.

Comment on Recently Asked Questions by brownsnout

brownsnout — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 01:32:05 +0000

When Cornell Cooperative Extension is answering a “recently asked question”, who is answering, what is their expertise and where are they getting their information?

Fortuna’s Rick Kesey recently said at a public meeting in Van Etten, NY that at their pilot Marcellus wells in Troy, PA they were recovering only about 40 percent of the frac fluids.

Epsilon Energy’s vice president of exploration David Hines told the
Wyoming County Press Examiner this January that about 10 percent of the water used during hydraulic fracturing by Epsilon Energy returns.

If you can’t take the time to accurately research (and site) and answer a question, don’t publish it. If you continue to promote gossip as “facts” you misplace the trust people have placed in your agency and contribute to the confusion and fear of a public with out access to accurate information.

Comment on Level of Air Quality Impacts from Drilling Debated by lisa ann wright

lisa ann wright — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:21:39 +0000

When it comes to the gas industry, and the impacts of unconventional drilling, we can choose to live in a world that respects hard facts and the scientific method, or we can live in the world dominated by financial schemes that make such independent inquiry impossible.

Quote of the Day:
“The Forest Service operates under an unhealthy ‘don’t-ask-don’t-tell’regime when it comes to oil and gas drilling,” Ruch added. “This tortured stance forces the agency’s own scientists to ignore obvious problems,putting them in an intolerable conflict between their careers and their consciences.”
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/03/31

Comment on Fortuna plans Chemung County Injection Well by lisa ann wright

lisa ann wright — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:11:02 +0000

I am embarrassed for New York State’s lack of scientists/environmentalists/politicians brave enough to challenge their colleagues’ support of the gas industry. Blogs like this, (which no one reads) are supposed to show how open the dialogue is, but for an increasing number of people and organizations statewide, the truth of hydraulic fracturing and regulatory compliance/enabling are glaringly obvious. In ten years, as the laughingly bad science, industry bumbling and political back-scratching continues, and as more land and water is poisoned for perpetuity, we will see the demise of the reputations of those who have been charged to protect us, as well as those who stood by in silence.

From the Rocket Courier

Injection wells use high-pressure pumps to inject liquid wastes into underground geologic formations. The belief is that wastes “may be isolated from drinking water aquifers when injected between impermeable rock strata,” according to one EPA report. The agency does concede that this disposal method is controversial “and many scientists are concerned that leaks from these wells may contaminate groundwater.”

Injection wells are defined by the type of fluid that would be injected into them, from I to IV, with I having the least potential of polluting the groundwater because it is disposed in isolated rock formations. The brine and wastewater created at gas and oil drilling sites would be injected into a Class II well. Class IV, by the way, is for hazardous or radioactive wastes—and, yes, such wells are permitted in other states.

http://74.95.82.236:591/rconline/FMPro?-db=rconline.fp5&-format=record_detail.html&-lay=detail&-sortfield=currentrecordid&-sortorder=descend&TopStory=Y&IsCurrent=Y&-recid=12611418&-find=

Comment on Fortuna plans Chemung County Injection Well by lisa wright

lisa wright — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:19:07 +0000

Energy Producing Counties in the West Fall Behind

http://www.dailyyonder.com/energy-producing-counties-west-fall-behind/2009/03/04/1971

Comment on Fortuna plans Chemung County Injection Well by lisa wright

lisa wright — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:14:02 +0000

The previous post on this blog announced that this was a public meeting-but even with Fortuna’s “Good Neighbor” policy–the meeting was not publicized in any papers. The closely kept announcement said:

“Fortuna Energy chemists, engineers, legal and public relations advisors will be on hand to present information, receive comments and answer questions from the public, local officials and residents.”

There were no chemists as promised. Rick Kessy is not a chemist. And I did not get an answer to my question.

I asked:”Will there be perfluorooctanoic acids or 2-Butoxyethanol in any of Fortuna’s anticipated disposal wells?” Mr. Kessy said he could not answer that question–didn’t even offer to get back to me after consulting with a proper chemist. I repeated the question and the question remain unanswered.

Of course we know why Kessy evaded the question, and why he is reduced to giving laughably insufficient answers to questions about Fortuna’s plans for the injection wells. He said numerous times that he is confident that injection wells will be safe. He is very confident there will be no contamination, and we should just trust him, though he cannot cite any studies verifying safety. I may not have liked his response, but in the context of his role at Fortuna, Kessy’s just doing his job.

But I have to wonder how the self-respecting scientists at this land-grant University can support or ignore unconventional drilling in our midst– and then go on to write effete papers about sustainability and renewable or green energy.

Any half-wit knows unconventional gas drilling requires tremendously non-green activities to get the gas. The disparities and injustices of living in a “town and gown” city like Ithaca come into high relief when our local people’s concerns in Spencer Van-Etten are summarily ignored by the public health, environmental, eco-justice, and sustainability professionals from Cornell. And sending sociologists to landowner’s coalitions meetings just doesn’t cut it.

Lisa Wright

Comment on Impressions from the PA gas drilling summit (Dec 10th – 11th, 2008) by jeffrey.jacquet

jeffrey.jacquet — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:33:13 +0000

On the dry-well (little produced water) issue, I seem to remember somebody saying that there is a certain formation, or “line in the sand” so to speak where wells to one side will be dry, while wells on the other side will have produced water. The idea seemed to be that most wells would lie on the dry side. It would be interesting to see where this line is in comparison to NY and everything else.