Hydraulic Fracturing: How Are Good Stewardship and
Care of Creation Being Considered?
Around the world,
many know the injustices associated with extracting natural resources. What is
most disturbing about these processes is the lack of dignity and rights given
to humans and our Earth. Depending on the location, land is either grabbed
without consideration of indigenous rights or individuals are “persuaded for
the right price” into signing a portion of their land away. Where does the
question of the common good or stewardship come into the procedure? What about
the economic future of the next generations?
According to a 2012 paper entitled, The Global Anti-Fracking Movement: What it Wants, How it Operates and What ’s Next, there are an estimated 63 shale gas reserves inIndia and
862 in the United States
In an effort to move from foreign oil and coal, some have embraced natural gas as the “bridge fuel” to help kick the “dirty fuel” habit. However, what is becoming increasingly clearer by the many studies being done is that this unconventional gas boom is happening too fast, too recklessly and with insufficient concern for the potential cumulative impacts on clean air, safe drinking water and a stable climate.
The process used to extract natural gas is called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” for short. While the process has been around for over fifty years, recent technological strides and global demand have empowered the industry to act with a “gold rush” mentality. According to an Environmental Protection Agency Study of Hydraulic Fracturing and Drinking Water Resources, fracking “involves the injection of more than a million gallons of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure down and across horizontally drilled wells as far as 10,000 feet below the surface. The pressurized mixture causes the rock layer to crack. These fissures are held open by the sand particles so that natural gas from the shale can flow up the well.”
As noted in the above process, the project is energy-intensive. Heavy equipment, usually run by a diesel engine, is needed to pump the mixture into the well and retrieve the waste. The construction of well pads, the collection of thousands of gallons of water and disposal of wastes all demand transportation, thus further pollution. According to a recent lifecycle analysis performed by a team of Cornell University scientists led by Professor Robert W. Howarth, “unconventional gas—particularly when it is extracted from shale using hydraulic fracturing methods—is likely to present an even greater climate disruption threat than coal and oil, the other dirty fossil fuels.” The most recent analysis conducted by Howarth’s team at Cornell, recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Climatic Change Letters, states that on a 20-year time horizon “the green house gas footprint for shale gas is at least 20% greater than and perhaps more than twice as great as that for coal when expressed per quantity of energy available during combustion.” “The take home message of the study” says Professor Howarth, is “if you do an integration [study] of 20 years following the development of the gas, that shale gas is worse than conventional gas and is in fact worse than coal and is worse than oil.” In addition the system used to retrieve shale gas includes the following:
According to a 2012 paper entitled, The Global Anti-Fracking Movement: What it Wants, How it Operates and What ’s Next, there are an estimated 63 shale gas reserves in
In an effort to move from foreign oil and coal, some have embraced natural gas as the “bridge fuel” to help kick the “dirty fuel” habit. However, what is becoming increasingly clearer by the many studies being done is that this unconventional gas boom is happening too fast, too recklessly and with insufficient concern for the potential cumulative impacts on clean air, safe drinking water and a stable climate.
The process used to extract natural gas is called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” for short. While the process has been around for over fifty years, recent technological strides and global demand have empowered the industry to act with a “gold rush” mentality. According to an Environmental Protection Agency Study of Hydraulic Fracturing and Drinking Water Resources, fracking “involves the injection of more than a million gallons of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure down and across horizontally drilled wells as far as 10,000 feet below the surface. The pressurized mixture causes the rock layer to crack. These fissures are held open by the sand particles so that natural gas from the shale can flow up the well.”
As noted in the above process, the project is energy-intensive. Heavy equipment, usually run by a diesel engine, is needed to pump the mixture into the well and retrieve the waste. The construction of well pads, the collection of thousands of gallons of water and disposal of wastes all demand transportation, thus further pollution. According to a recent lifecycle analysis performed by a team of Cornell University scientists led by Professor Robert W. Howarth, “unconventional gas—particularly when it is extracted from shale using hydraulic fracturing methods—is likely to present an even greater climate disruption threat than coal and oil, the other dirty fossil fuels.” The most recent analysis conducted by Howarth’s team at Cornell, recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Climatic Change Letters, states that on a 20-year time horizon “the green house gas footprint for shale gas is at least 20% greater than and perhaps more than twice as great as that for coal when expressed per quantity of energy available during combustion.” “The take home message of the study” says Professor Howarth, is “if you do an integration [study] of 20 years following the development of the gas, that shale gas is worse than conventional gas and is in fact worse than coal and is worse than oil.” In addition the system used to retrieve shale gas includes the following:
- The production, transport and burning
of natural gas produces significant air pollution including the release of
methane, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide,
not to mention volatile organic compounds such as benzene.
- Currently, the gas industry benefits
from lax oversight and several exemptions from existing public health
protections, such as the Safe Drinking Water Act and parts of the Clean
Water Act that apply to other fossil fuel extraction industries.
- The chemical additives of fracking
fluids are protected as an industry trade secret and no federal legislation
requires their disclosure.
- Enormous amounts of water
requirements for gas drilling and the unavoidable pollution due to
chemical additives and underground contaminants, pose a serious threat to
water resources.
- Smog pollution from drilling can
extend hundreds of miles from the well site.
- In 1992, the EPA reported a well failure rate of 16.7%, meaning approximately one in
every six abandoned wells will leak into the surrounding area.
- Soil pollution is found in some
locations due to heavy metal use in fracking.
- Waste water from fracking cannot be taken to a public waste water treatment plant and then dumped into a river. In addition to salt, it contains heavy metals and some amount of naturally occurring radioactive materials, which are signatures of shale gas. Public waste water treatment plants are not equipped to remove those materials from the waste stream.
As of last month,
it was reported that a Bluegrass Pipeline running through part of Kentucky Utica
According to the KY Resource Council report, with this pipeline, the following are potential consequences:
According to the KY Resource Council report, with this pipeline, the following are potential consequences:
- Accidental releases can result in
injuries or fatalities from fires or explosions caused by ignition of the
released product, as well as from possible toxicity and asphyxiation
effects.
- Hazardous liquids can spread over
land and water, flowing downhill into valleys, ravines, and waterways.
- Drinking water contamination threats
– particularly of private wells near fracking operations, as well as
municipal sources drawn from waterways impacted by unconventional gas
drilling directly and via inadequate fracking wastewater treatment prior
to discharge into these waterways.
- Uncertainties about the extent of
methane emissions and leakage from drilling operations, storage tanks and
pipelines carrying gas.
- Threats to pristine lands from
unconventional gas drilling.
- Questions about the migration of
fracking wastewater injected underground.
Reflections/Actions:
- What personal experiences do I/we
have with regard to hydraulic fracturing and/or the proposed Bluegrass
Pipeline?
- What Catholic principles with regard
to stewardship are being violated? Who is bearing the risks where these
processes take place? What thoughts exist with regard to food and water
supplies as a result of these processes? What types of “demands” from
citizens would make this safe to be practiced?
- An EPA study on Hydraulic Fracturing
and Drinking Water Resources includes a
- A global anti-fracking movement exists with information on annual events.
- The Global Anti-Fracking Movement:
What it Wants, How it Operates and What’s Next is located here.
- The
- Two DVD’s related to hydraulic
fracking include Gasland I and Gasland II. On
July 8 at 9 p.m. local time on HBO, Gasland II will debut on television.
Gasland I is located in the SCN media center for checkout.
- It appears as though the DVD/movie FrackNation, in response to Gasland II has Koch industry ties. More information is here.
- A series of articles was written on
hydraulic fracking by Michael Ludwig.
- To remain updated on hydraulic
fracking, individuals may like Food and Water Watch facebook page. Individuals may sign
a petition to ban fracking at (http://bit.ly/BFPetition) or text
“Frack” to 69866.
- Contact President Obama at
866.772.3843 telling him that fracking threatens our air, water, climate
and communities and not to pursue policies that promote fracking and the
export of natural gas.
- U.S. citizens are invited to send a message to members of Congress and are also invited to urge the Bureau of Land Management to revise its proposed rule for greater transparency of fracking chemicals, thus protecting our environment, water supplies and public health.
- Individuals are invited to write a
letter to the editor of the local paper expressing your concerns and
questions on hydraulic fracking and/or the Bluegrass Pipeline in KY.
- KY residents are invited to download, sign and send a message to their legislators urging them to oppose the Bluegrass Pipeline by clicking here. Feel free to edit.
- Talk with others, express concerns,
raise questions.
- Pray to St Francis of
Immigration
Legislation Update
Nuns on the
Bus finished their
campaign in support of comprehensive immigration reform across the Southern
United States and Senators agreed with the need for legislation by passing S.
744, The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization
Act of 2013 by a 68-32 vote. The legislation includes a road to citizenship for
the millions of undocumented and an overhaul of the family immigration system.
The bill also creates stringent border enforcement and deportation measures and
workplace enforcement by mandating that employers use an electronic employment
eligibility verification system or E-Verify. House leadership has stated it
will NOT vote on the Senate bill and will take up the issue after the July 4
recess.
Reflections/Actions:
Reflections/Actions:
- Watch and take the latest action for
comprehensive immigration reform
and watch the SCN Newsline for further action.
- As the House begins work on
immigration, a manual for faith group education is located here.
- The U.S. Catholic Bishops’ guidelines
for comprehensive immigration reform are here.
- NETWORK has a fact sheet on immigration
and a site to urge Congress that immigration reform is needed now here.
- The
- The hidden reality of rape on the job for immigrant women is depicted here.
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