ARTICLE TITLE: The Truth About Fracking AUTHOR/SOURCE:Chris Mooney MAIN POINTS: Anthony Ingraffea, Scientists in the March

March meeting hosted by the EPA to help determine whether fracking is guilty as charged Fracking is infusing toxic chemicals and gas intro drinking-water supplies Basic technique of hydraulic fracturing has been used in conventional-style wells since 1940s. When vertical well shaft hits layer of shale, chemically treated water and sand are blasted down at high pressure to crack open rock and liberate natural gas. Technique been combined with a newer technology called directional or horizontal, drilling- the ability to turn a downward-plodding drill bit as much as 90 degrees and continue drilling within the layer, parallel to the ground surface. Result is a veritable Gas Rush. U.S estimated 827 trillion cubic feet of unconventional shale gas within reach Unlike fracking of vertical wells, horizontal fracking needs enormous volumes of water and chemicals Ponds and tanks are needed to store the flow back water that comes up the hole after wells have been fractured Companies may drill a dozen or more vertical wells to maximize access to gas. Department of Environmental Conservation unveiled a plan to give drilling companies access to 85% of state's portion of the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations. Fracking would not be allowed in NYC or Syracuse watersheds, because water supplies and unfiltered between those water supplies. It takes two to four million gallons of water for a single lateral and 15,000 to 60,000 gallons of chemicals. Transporting liquids involves fleet of tanker trucks and large storage containers 75% percent of what is blasted down comes back up. Chemicals are used to help fracking flow Toxic water must be stored on-site and later transported to treatment plants or is reused Companies use open-air pits dug into the ground. All processes can cause accidents. DoEP fined Chesapeake almost $1 million for contaminating 16 families' water wells with methane as a result of improper drilling practices. Impacts can be blamed on fracking if the term refers to the whole industrial process. To show that racking as industry defines the problem, you have to examine the alleged threat that is simultaneously the most publicized and yet the most certain The idea that water blasts deep underground can directly contaminate drinking water, by creating unexpected pathways for gas or liquid to travel between deep hale and shallow groundwater.

Faulty cementing is the leading suspect in possible sources of contamination Any well has to pass through near-surface layers that contain groundwater; It could also pass through unknown pockets of gas. Drillers fill the gap between the gas pipe and the wall of the hole with concrete so buoyant gas cannot rise up along the outside of the pipe and seep into groundwater. A casing failure might allow chemical flow back, propelled by pressure released when the shale is cracked. A significant percentage of cement jobs will fail. Contamination because of bad cementing has been a long standing problem Because of depths of gas and combination of fracking and directional drilling, millions of gallons per fracking operation Poor cementing accounts for a number of groundwater contamination cases. Methane migration is also a problem, if methane is getting into drinking water because of unconventional gas drilling, why aren't the fracking chemicals? When methane is released from rock, enough initial pressure exists to drive water and chemicals back up the hole. If fracking could connect with preexisting fissures, chemicals could pose a groundwater risk. EPA is finding ways in which drilling could contaminate water supplies, from unlined and leaky storage pits to faulty well cementing Ingraffea's advice is to develop powerful model that can iterate a scenario of multiple wells, multiple fracks and gas and liquid movements. The current standard used in academia to simulate underground reservoirs is called tough 2. EPA should monitor chemistry in drinking water wells before and after drilling begins at new sites. Chemicals found after drilling starts would significantly weaken the common industry argument that water was naturally contaminated before drilling arrived but that residents didn't notice Making companies put an easily identifiable chemical tracer into their fracking fluid mixture is another suggestion. The EPA is considering use of tracers. The study by EPA could bring clarity to complex, conflicting claims it is very possible that gas companies have been guilty of carelessness in how they drill wells and dispose of waste, fracking technology itself may be exonerated.

AUTHOR'S POINT: There is a debate of whether or not fracking is guilty as charged. Fracking is the process in which a vertical well shaft hits a layer of shale. Once water hits the shale to crack open rocks and release natural gas, it takes two to four million gallons of water for a single drill and 15,000 to 60,000 gallons of chemicals. Fracking has been said to contaminate the drinking water of people's homes around the fracking areas. The causes of this could be from many sources. One source was said to be poor cementing. Poor cementing could let the natural gases to seep out. Another reason would be that if drills link up with preexisting openings, it allows the gas to travel upwards back to the surface. The last

way that the water could be contaminated is by methane migration. Methane is released from rocks, and with enough pressure, it could drive water and chemicals back into the drilling hole and into the groundwater (which we use for our drinking supply) EPA is looking for other reasons why fracking could cause contamination of water supplies. It could be from unlined and leaky storage pits to faulty well cementing. Anthony Gorody and Lisa Jackson recommend that the EPA should monitor chemistry in drinking water wells before drilling new sites. The last recommendation said in this article is that companies should be forced to put in a tracer that would show the natural gases that are in the water supply. If so, it would be a relatively easy thing to do. The EPA themselves considered using tracers also. MY THOUGHTS: My opinion on this article is that companies that are involved with fracking should be responsible for the damage they do to people. After watching a documentary about fracking, Fracking companies should be guilty as charged. With the contamination of drinking water due to fracking, it can harm human health, animal health and could also kill the humans and animals. Fracking is dangerous because it uses two to four million gallons of water for just ONE pump. Using this information, there could be trillions of gallons of water being used just for fracking. It is a waste of water and should be used for other things that are important like to drink or to use for watering our plants. Fracking also requires 15,000 to 60,000 gallons of chemicals. There is a risk that fracking could fail (an example being the cement, stated in the article). So What? Fracking uses up a large amount of water and chemicals for just one drill. With continuous fracking, it can cause a contamination of our drinking supply. So what..? Fracking was never invented? Says Who? Chris Mooney, Anthony Gorody, Lisa Jackson, Anthony Ingraffea

What does this remind you of? This reminded me of the movie we watched in class Erin Brockovish because water was also being contaminated and it was affecting humans.