Voice of Colorado’s Western Slope Urges Cong. Delegation to Oppose Degette-Polis Anit-Fracking Bill
Broad coalition calls the bill ‘emotionally driven’; ‘costly solution for a problem that does not exist’
Yesterday, CLUB 20 – “a coalition of individuals, businesses, tribes and local governments in Colorado’s 22 western counties” – sent this letter to Colorado’s congressional delegation urging opposition to Reps. DeGette and Polis’ anti-fracking, anti-energy production bill moving through Congress.
“Organized for the purpose of speaking with a single unified voice on issues of mutual concern,” and coined the “Voice of the Western Slope,” the group wrote this to their federal legislators:
- By ignoring 35 years of successful state regulatory precedence in protecting groundwater supplies, the FRAC Act demonstrates neither “responsibility” for good public policy nor “awareness” of the factsrelated to this issue.
- CLUB 20 believes that Colorado’s groundwater supplies are of critical importance and we applaud the decades-long work of the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) for providing an appropriate state regulatory framework to assure the protection of our groundwater supplies from unintended contamination by oil & gas development.
- Hydraulic fracturing increases the efficiency and productivity of natural gas wells by 400-700%, especially in shales and tight sands which constitute the large majority of natural gas fields on the Western Slope of Colorado. Many of these wells would not be economically viable without the application of this technology.
- The FRAC Act is an emotionally driven attempt to preempt existing state authority and add an unnecessary and costly regulatory burden on one of our state’s most economically important industries. It represents a costly solution for a problem that does not exist, and will only result in driving up the cost (and thus discouraging development) of one of the cleanest sources of energy (natural gas) that we have available to us.
And while groups of concerned citizens who understand the facts, like CLUB 20, work to aggressively support environmentally-safe production of clean-burning natural gas, reports and figures continue to demonstrate the economic growth potential that shale gas holds.
In fact, in today’s Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, the paper reports that:
- ”As the natural-gas drilling industry ramps up in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale, it could employ perhaps 13,000 workers by 2012, the vast majority of them general laborers with basic skill sets, according to a needs assessment released last week by the Marcellus Shale Education & Training Center.
- “Using a multiplier created by the Pennsylvania Economy League, the report suggests that nearly 20,000 non-industry jobs would be created by industry activities in the Northern Tier and Central regions. … The report’s results jibe with the industry’s own assessment in 2006, according to Stephen Rhoads, the president of the Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Association.”
However, the DeGette bill poses an enormous threat to tens of thousands of new, good-paying American jobs, while further undercutting progress toward making our nation more energy secure.
EID Fact Check: Center for American Progress Weighs in on Hydraulic Fracturing
Earlier today, the Center for American Progress (CAP), an influential, left-of-center public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., posted a memo on its website in support of the FRAC Act of 2009 – legislation that seeks to impede the development of America’s abundant shale gas resources bytargeting the critical tools needed to bring those resources to market.
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EID Fact Check: Center for American Progress Weighs in on Hydraulic Fracturing
Last night, Congressman John Fleming, a freshman from northwestern Louisiana – where massive amounts of economic growth, jobs and government revenues have been created as a direct result of clean-burning natural gas production in the Haynesville Shale region – took to the House floor to tout the real-life impact that American energy production creates and to dispel untruths about the environmentally-safe energy production technique known as hydraulic fracturing.
And as Mr. Fleming’s time to speak expired, he was preparing to show the American people an Energy In Depth diagram displaying how hydraulic fracturing safely produces clean-burning natural gas. Seriously, Mr. Speaker: You couldn’t have given him an extra 10 seconds to do that?
Key Excerpts:
“[Haynesville Shale natural gas production has] pumped $4.5 billion into the economy in FY 2008. It’s created nearly $3.9 billion in household earnings in the same year. The greatest impact on indirect and household earnings was experienced by workers in the mining sector with new household earnings of $191.3 million in 2008. It’s created over $30 million in new earnings in seven separate sectors.”
“[Haynesville Shale natural gas production has] created directly and indirectly over 32,000 jobs.”
“Conservative estimates report that state and local tax revenues increased by at least $153.3 million in 2008.”
“I wanted to talk a moment about how we get the natural gas out of that shale that we are talking about, that’s two miles deep in the earth. The method is called hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracing is a more common term. This method has been used for over 60 years and responsible for 30 percent of America’s recoverable oil and gas. Of wells currently operating today, wells currently operating today, over 90 percent have been fractured at least once.
“Environmentalists and their allies in Congress are escalating their assault on affordable and reliable energy with legislation that would place regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Drinking Water Act, SWDA. A law that was never intended for this purpose.”
“This legislation would have a far-reaching negative impact on energy and energy producers and consumers alike. For years this process has been safely and effectively regulated by individual states. And of the more than one million wells fractured, not a single case, not a single case of drinking water contamination has ever been recorded.”
“In my state of Louisiana, three different agencies have oversight related to this process. So you see, it’s not an unregulated process.”
NOTE: Click HERE to watch this floor speech.
Prospects and Economic Impacts of Developing the Marcellus Shale
Following last week’s historic report determining that the U.S. now has more than 100 years worth of proven natural gas reserves, up more than 58 percent than was previously thought, news organizations nationwide are paying close attention to:
1) the massive amounts of good-paying jobs clean-burning natural gas production will create here at home;
2) the fact that the more American energy we produce, the less dependent we are on foreign and unstable nations to keep our economy moving; and
3) the process to produce natural gas trapped thousands of feet below the water table in dense rock formations – called hydraulic fracturing – is not only heavily regulated, but it has a long, clear, proven safety record.
Here’s just a sample of the recent reports:
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Editorial
“America’s supply of natural gas is considerably greater than commonly thought, thanks to advances in recovery technology that now allow for drilling in shale rock.”
“But fossil fuels will continue to make up a major part of the equation for years, if not decades. Start drilling — now.”
Uniontown (PA) Herald Standard
“The Marcellus Shale natural gas formation is expected to create 100,000 jobs over the next decade.”
“The Marcellus Shale could make Pennsylvania “the Saudi Arabia of natural gas.”
“The shale must be fractured for the gas to be extracted. … D’Amico said to “frac” the shale, a combination of 90 percent water, 9.95 percent sand and .05 percent chemicals is used. Thus the drilling process will not contaminate water.”
“The drilling process includes three layers of pipe. He said wells one mile deep in the ground are well isolated from surface water, adding that everything that is done is regulated by the state Department of Environmental Protection.”
“U.S. natural gas reserves are likely 39 percent higher than estimated just two years ago as new technology is revealing deeper potential resources of energy. The U.S. has an estimated 1,836 trillion cubic feet of potential natural gas, the most on record, according to a report today by the Potential Gas Committee, a group of industry, government and academic volunteers. The estimate is up from 1,321 trillion cubic feet two years ago. The amount of proven and potential gas would meet U.S. demand for almost 100 years.”
“The DeGette/Casey bill would require permits from the Environmental Protection Agency.”
“Michael Decker, executive vice president for Gasco Energy Inc. said fracturing projects his company is working on drill to depths of 13,000 feet or more and that drinking water sources are generally at about 300 feet. He also said that the drilling wells are incased in concrete and that the substances used to extract gas are now less hazardous.”
“The dynamic rise of shale natural gas plays over the last decade, capped by the huge Marcellus Shale find from West Virginia to New York, has raised a backlash from environmentalists and East Coast metropolitan leaders concerned over hydrofracing.”
“A proven method of increasing oil and gas production, energy supporters point to five decades of injecting pressurized water, sand and chemicals into wells, all without evidence of groundwater contamination.”
“I don’t understand it,” he said of proposals that the EPA employ its own well-inspection crews.”
“Such a law could stop most or all drilling while the agency created, prepared and deployed its staff – which could take months. “I think it is counter-productive to everything that the Obama administration wants to do.”
EID Launches New “Write-A-Rep” Communications Tool
Point, Click, Engage
New “Write-a-Rep” feature will help educate policymakers, staff on record of safety, well-established history of hydraulic fracturing
Keep Reading »
EID Launches New "Write-A-Rep" Communications Tool
Point, Click, Engage
New “Write-a-Rep” feature will help educate policymakers, staff on record of safety, well-established history of hydraulic fracturing
Click here to launch.
