Experts say FRAC Act “will have a far-reaching effect on all Americans,” Will “curtail” job-creating domestic energy production
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Read All About It: The Facts About Hydraulic Fracturing’s Record of Safety Continue to Mount
The positive and overwhelming economic and energy security benefits enabled by hydraulic fracturing – a tightly regulated 60-year old energy stimulation technology – continue to be realized across the nation. These benefits – affordable supplies of reliable homegrown energy and thousands of good-paying jobs – are a reality in major energy-producing states, particularly North Dakota and Texas.
And while New York was the birthplace of natural gas production, a de facto ban on Marcellus Shale production through the use of 21st century horizontal drilling technology continues to deny landowners their right to responsibly develop privately-owned, clean-burning, job-creating resources.
Facts are stubborn things, as they say. So for your edification, here are a few about fracturing.
In a Fort Worth Business Press column today, Bruce Vincent, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of American (IPAA) and president of Swift Energy, underscores the critical role that fracture stimulation has played, and continues to play, in safely producing homegrown, job-creating energy oil and natural gas resources over the past 60 years. Here are key excerpts from Vincent’s column, which speaks directly to the devastating consequences that bills like the FRAC Act would introduce to American consumers:
This process is tightly regulated by energy-producing states, and is subject to a host of federal laws and regulations as well. In fact, federal law mandates that these fluids – which as stated, are made up of more than 99.5 percent water and sand – be disclosed at every single well-site. Many states even provide these lists online.
In commercial use since 1949, hydraulic fracturing has been – and continues to be – the linchpin to American oil and natural gas production. With surgical-like precision, using high-pressure fluids made up of more than 99.5 percent water and sand, with a small percentage of everyday additives used to kill bacteria and reduce wellbore friction, fracturing stimulates oil and gas production thousands of feet below ground, allowing increased amounts of energy to be produced.
But is it safe, and what steps do producers take to ensure groundwater protection? The short answer: yes, and many.
Unfortunately, some members of Congress believe that they know better than Texas, and that Washington bureaucrats ought to regulate fracturing, rather than individual energy-producing states who understand the geology best and have amassed an impressive track record of overseeing this critical technology. These advocates say their legislation is about disclosure of fracturing fluids. At its core, though, these efforts are aimed at stopping fracturing altogether, which would significantly blunt the positive economic growth and job creation in Texas, as well as in other energy-producing states, and ultimately, increase the cost of energy for America.
More than 1,500 miles away from Ft. Worth, in bucolic Syracuse, NY, folks are also talking about fracturing’s long and clear record of environmental safety and effectiveness. In yesterday’s Syracuse Post-Standard, Alfred Station, NY-native Chris Kulander – who holds a Ph.D. in geophysics with a focus on petroleum seismology – write this about fracture stimulation, and the benefits this proven technology stands to help generate through responsibly developing New York’s portion of the Marcellus Shale:
No evidence directly connects injection of fracking fluid into shale with aquifer contamination. In 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a study finding no confirmed instances of drinking water contamination by fracking fluids in the ground. This finding is not surprising, as fracking fluid is pumped through heavy steel pipe surrounded by a concrete liner to formations thousands of feet below aquifers.
Fracking has made production from the Marcellus Shale possible and created thousands of jobs.
An unfortunate push exists in New York to ban all fracking, purportedly until the technology can be “proven” safe, and to require federal oversight of fracking.
While a responsive state regulatory framework and vigorous, impartial enforcement of those regulations are necessary, draconian measures such as rolling moratoriums or federal oversight of fracking are not. New York is well able to regulate fracking while at the same time allowing development of natural gas and enjoying the jobs and revenue it brings.
True American Hero: On Birthday, HF Operator Saves Woman’s Life, Rescues Dog From Burning House
American heroes walk among us in our communities and neighborhoods each and every day. They put others selflessly before themselves, rarely seeking the credit or recognition they rightfully deserve for their graceful acts of goodness and service to others.
Hundreds of thousands of hard-working men and women across the nation work dutifully each day to safely produce and deliver homegrown oil and natural gas reserves to American consumers in the form of affordable, stable and reliable energy needed to grow our economy and to strengthen our nation.
These are rig-hands, roustabouts, and hydraulic fracturing experts — they’re our friends, family members and neighbors. And because of a selfless act of bravery this week, we can add one more classification to that list: citizen first responder, and American hero.
After completing a day’s work in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Marcellus Shale earlier this week, Billy Watts — a Cudd Energy Services employee — was on his way home to New York when he noticed a house that “was burning like crazy.” And while Mr. Watts may be fairly new to the area, he’s as good a neighbor as one could ask for. The Elmira Star-Gazette reports this under the headline “Newcomer to Elmira area helps rescue woman, pet from house fire”:
Billy Watts, who turned 37 Monday, was driving home on South Broadway from Troy at about 6 p.m. when he saw black smoke in the air. Watts, a hydrofracturing operator for Cudd Energy Services in Pennsylvania, pulled over and helped a volunteer firefighter at the scene before any fire trucks arrived.
A gas industry worker who recently moved to Wellsburg from Oklahoma got an unusual opportunity on his birthday Monday: the chance to save a life.
The pair went down the hill toward the burning home at 2726 South Broadway and saw a woman who looked to be in her 70s, Watts said.
“She was bent over the fence and couldn’t get out, couldn’t breathe.” A dog was with her, he said. Watts and the firefighter helped the woman and dog get away from the house. … Watts said he breathed in some smoke and felt congested from it, but otherwise he was fine. “It’s important for people to stop and try to help out,” Watts said, noting that other bystanders came by.
Sure, Mr. Watts recently moved to New York’s southern tier from Oklahoma to help safely and responsibly deliver clean-burning, job-creating natural gas from the Mighty Marcellus. But this selfless act of heroism underscores how committed our industry is to being good neighbors and partners. We should all take pause in Mr. Watts’ statement about this incident: “It’s important for people to stop and try to help out.”
EID in Barnett Country for U.S.-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum
They say ya gotta to where the action is, right? Well, this week that action is in Fort Worth, Texas, host-city to the Tenth U.S.-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum (OGIF). For those not familiar with the OGIF, it’s a public-private partnership designed to facilitate dialogue around the development of oil and gas resources in both the United States and China. Topics of discussion this year? Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), deepwater development and of course, unconventional oil and natural gas technology and development.
EID has set up shop, brought along a few issue alerts, fact sheets and other educational materials to distribute along with a laptop and monitor to allow folks to access www.energyindepth.org, see our work, view a video or two and signup to receive our mailings.
The conference kicked off yesterday with a tour of a few Chesapeake Energy facilities in the area – EID had an opportunity to tag along and tour an urban drilling site, compressor station and salt water treatment facility.
This afternoon we’ll hear from U.S./Chinese government and industry officials on shale gas; we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
CNN uses Binghamton HF hearings as launch point for day-long primal scream against shale gas – but how much of it actually squares up with the facts?
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ICYMI – GasLand debunked (again) in Okla. Paper
With so much talk in Washington these days from politicians about “plans” aimed at redirecting our struggling economy and putting Americans back to work, not as much attention has been paid to the incredible economic force that America’s oil and natural gas producers continue to bring to bear in so many regions across the country.
Unfortunately though, some leaders in Washington are working to advance misguided policies that seek to severely undercut producers’ ability to safely deliver the energy resources needed to fuel our economy. Naturally, the less energy produced, the fewer jobs created – and tougher it is to make good on the promise of America’s homegrown (and growing) energy potential.
Consider the potential consequences of the FRAC Act, which could strip energy-producing states of their ability to determine the regulatory landscape associated with hydraulic fracturing – a 60-year old technology that’s used to enhance energy production in 90 percent of the nation’s oil and natural gas wells.
While some opponents of responsible American energy production contend that Washington ought to step in and brush aside the authority and expertise of the states in this area, Energy In Depth continues to provide the facts, history and data needed to better understand and appreciate the record of achievement to which state officials continue to lay claim after 60 years of successful oversight.
In today’s Bismark Tribune, EID’s Lee Fuller shares some additional insight on this record:
Here are the actual facts: Fracturing has been used safely in the United States for more than 60 years, and has never in that time been directly regulated by the EPA. For decades, that responsibility has remained with states, which continue to compile a remarkable record of oversight and enforcement.
How good? In 60 years, not a single case of groundwater contamination has been credibly tied to hydraulic fracturing. Don’t believe us? Just ask the EPA — it confirmed as much to the U.S. Senate earlier this year.
Rep. Earl Pomeroy said recently that the “regulation of hydraulic fracturing is best left to the states,” and that new efforts to turn that authority over to the federal government “will do nothing to protect drinking water and will only serve to slow down development resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs and more imported oil.”
Sen. Byron Dorgan confirms that “hydraulic fracturing is not a problem,” noting there have been “many studies” that “show that it does not contaminate groundwater,” including one by the EPA in 2004.
Thanks to the Bakken Shale, North Dakota’s unemployment rate is currently at 3.6 percent. Compare that to the national rate of 9.5 percent. And what about the North Dakota budget? Thanks to the Bakken, it currently enjoys a surplus of $500 million.
Here’s what others are saying about oil and natural gas production enabled by tightly-regulated fracture stimulation technology:
ON FRACTURING’S RECORD OF SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
- Ph.D. in Geophysics says “Gas shale and hydraulic fracturing work for NY”: “No evidence directly connects injection of fracking fluid into shale with aquifer contamination. In 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a study finding no confirmed instances of drinking water contamination by fracking fluids in the ground. This finding is not surprising as fracking fluid is pumped through heavy, steel pipe surrounded by a concrete liner to formations thousands of feet below aquifers. (Hornell Evening Tribune, 9/7/10)
- Surge in use of natural gas helping to lower emissions: “But now, thanks to greater geologic and scientific insight and developments in drilling and production techniques, producers are unlocking shale’s enormous potential. We don’t have to look overseas to realize the environmental and economic gains of relying on natural gas; huge shale gas reserves in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Appalachia are easily accessible – right here, right now. Shale gas has begun to tip the scales such that experts deem the boom a game-changer, the most significant energy innovation in years. (Houston Chronicle, 9/3/10)
ON JOB CREATION, ECONOMIC GROWTH
- Gas boom economic engine for company: “When a Texas gas company hired Michael Pascuzzi’s earth-moving business to build two water impoundments, he sat down at his desk and cried. The family-owned company had been headed for bankruptcy. ‘We were real close to throwing in the towel,’ said Nicholas Pascuzzi Jr., Michael’s father and president of their McDonald-based company, New Dominion Construction. Marcellus shale saved the company, fresh evidence of how the commercial discovery of gas in the deep shale formation boosted the economy of Western Pennsylvania during a national recession.” (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 9/8/10)
- Gov. Rendell touts Shale’s economic potential during broadcast: “There is an economic upside here that is substantial,” Gov. Ed Rendell said on the Wednesday night show, which was part of a series of PCN programming on the Marcellus Shale. (Scranton Times-Tribune, 9/9/10)
- “Atlas Energy Inc. is among those doing some hiring. The natural-gas producer, based in Moon Township, Pa., has added 160 workers this year, bringing its head count to 680. The company recently played host to a jobs fair at a Pittsburgh-area hotel, where a line to register spilled out of a ballroom and into the lobby.” (Wall Street Journal, 9/4/10)
ON EXANDED SUPPLIES OF AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE ENERGY
- Marcellus Shale production data exceeds expectations: “Marcellus Shale gas wells in Northeast and Northcentral Pennsylvania led the state in natural gas production last year, exceeding even industry predictions about the promise of the gas-rich shale, according to well production data released for the first time by the state. In the 12 months between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, the state’s 632 producing Marcellus wells released 180 billion cubic feet of gas – an amount that more than doubles Pennsylvania’s annual natural gas production from the years before the shale exploration began. … Matt Pitzarella, a spokesman for Range Resources, which reported a total production of about 35 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 402,000 barrels of natural gas liquids last year, said the report indicates what the industry believed, “which is that it is a very large natural gas discovery and could be one of the largest anywhere when it’s all said and done. It’s just going to take time.” (Scranton Times-Tribune, 9/9/10)
- What peak oil? Why an oil glut is ahead: “Part of that surplus comes from increased oil and gas production, particularly from ongoing production in the non-OPEC countries (including the U.S., where a “shale gas boom” has created a natural-gas glut). … But as the summer driving season passes and students head back to school, awareness has gradually dawned that we may be looking at an oil surplus for years to come. (CNNMoney, 9/8/10)
- Natural gas from shale rock promises energy revolution: “A new source of energy, shale gas promises to add significantly to the world’s energy reserves. … David Spigelmyer, vice-president of government relations at Chesapeake Energy said the firm’s gas extraction takes place a mile or more underground. “Groundwater rests between 300 and 500 feet and we have multiple layers of cement and steel to protect these freshwater aquifers,” he said. (BBC, 9/8/10)
With so much talk in Washington these days from politicians about “plans” aimed at redirecting our struggling economy and putting Americans back to work, not as much attention has been paid to the incredible economic force that America’s oil and natural gas producers continue to bring to bear in so many regions across the country.
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C…BS Evening News Whiffs on Hydraulic Fracturing Facts
