Comments on: Fracking in the Finger Lakes

By: R.Unasi

R.Unasi — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:27:00 +0000

I guess the only issue we should be worried about is , spill over of fracturing chemicals spilling into the underground watershed or surface waterways. Most companies do not disclose the chemicals they use with water and sand to aid fracturing process. I think this regulation needs to be overturned to allow companies to disclose chemicals used (they say it is technology secret or some thing along that line). R. Unasi

By: Erick Ihlenburg

Erick Ihlenburg — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:57:00 +0000

Update: NY DEC has extended the public comment period to the close of business on January 11, 2012.

By: Michael Corey

Michael Corey — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:24:00 +0000

Thank you for the additional information. I’ve read a number of newspaper and magazine articles about hydraulic fracking. Only recently have I tried to understand the technology. Most of the articles dealt with what takes place underground. Few deal with the spent fracking fluids which appear to be more problematic than the extraction process itself.

By: Erick Ihlenburg

Erick Ihlenburg — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:24:00 +0000

Hydraulic fracturing technology was patented by Halliburton in the 1940s. It has been in use since then, and many states have regulations for drilling operations. But the technology has changed a lot since then, and there is legitimate concern that state regulations are not adequate to protect human health and the environment, in light of more recent information and experience. More stringent regulatory requirements are often not enforced.

Fracking technology has advanced considerably since it was first introduced. Perhaps the two most significant developments are mulit-well drilling pads (allowing for multiple wells to be drilled at a single drilling pad), and horizontal drilling (the well runs horizontally through the target formation, greatly increasing the amount of gas that may be produced from a well). Compared to conventional vertical wells, horizontal drilling requires much more fracking fluid in order to produce gas. 3-8 million gallons of fracking solution is necessary to open a single well, and that well may be re-fracked 10 or more times throughout its lifespan. Therefore, the quantity of fracking watse is far greater in horizontal drilling applications.

As for regulation of hydro-fracking, I do not believe the current regulatory frameworks are adequate. In 2005, Congress specifically exempted fracking wells from the Safe Drinking Water Act, in what many refer to as the “Halliburton loophole.” Currently there are no federal regulations that apply to the various fracking processes, although EPA has proposed air quality standards and has committed to propose requirements for treating wastewater. In the meantime, we have a patchwork of state and local regulations that are not comprehensive and that are rarely enforced. States are playing catch-up with evolving industry practices, and lack adequate resources, information or political will to ensure that communities are protected.

There is data that documents the numerous environmental impacts of fracking, but I’m not sure if any of it has been subjected to statistical analyses. EPA is in the middle of a large study that is expected to be finalized in 2014. NYSDEC just released its revised Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, which may be the most comprehensive assessment of fracking currently available. It’s over 1,500 pages long, and is accompanied by a 250 page socio-economic study. I haven’t been able to read all of it yet, but there is definitely some useful information there.

By: Michael Corey

Michael Corey — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:56:00 +0000

According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), hydraulic fracturing is regulated and has been in use since the 1940s in more than 1 million wells in the United States. Is the API information inaccurate or perhaps misleading? Are there good statistics on how many of these operations have had major environmental problems, the extent of them, and any remediation efforts that may have taken place? Are there any good statistics on how many of the current hydraulic fluid recovery systems are likely to fail and what the consequences are likely to be?