*UPDATE* The President’s Big Shout Out to Shale
According to most geologists, shale has been a natural geological feature of the earth’s outermost crust for about two billion years now, give or take a couple hundred million. But would you believe it? In all that time, the word "shale" had never been mentioned in a State of the Union address...
UPDATE (Jan. 26, 10:26am ET): A document on the White House website (found here) entitled “Blueprint for an America Built to Last” reiterates the President’s support for natural gas development and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it will create. It is indeed telling (and little wonder) that developing natural gas from shale plays so prominently in a plan to create jobs while also reducing environmental impacts.
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According to most geologists, shale has been a natural geological feature of the earth’s outermost crust for about two billion years now, give or take a couple hundred million. But would you believe it? In all that time, the word “shale” had never been mentioned in a State of the Union address delivered by an American president (in fairness, the office of U.S. president hasn’t been around quite that long).
Well, it had to happen eventually. And last night, that two-billion-year-long-no-mention streak finally came to an end, with President Obama devoting a significant segment of his nationally (and internationally) televised address to touting the promise and potential of developing America’s enormous natural gas resources — particularly those in “shale rock” — as the foundation for an energy policy that’s “cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.” From the speech:
“We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years,” the President stated, “And my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade.” The President went on to say that expanded natural gas development will “create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t have to choose between our environment and our economy.”
But unlike the numerous throwaway lines in all too many political speeches and presidential statements, the president’s words about natural gas were clearly a major component of his address, and news outlets from across the country took notice. Below is a snapshot of what major media had to say about the speech, specifically the president’s endorsement of the responsible development of natural gas from shale:
- Reuters, “Obama backs shale gas drilling”
President Barack Obama on Tuesday pledged support for the U.S. shale gas boom, but said government must focus on safe development of the energy resource.
In his State of the Union address, Obama called for government to develop a roadmap for responsible shale gas production and said his administration would move forward with “common-sense” new rules to make sure drillers protect the public.
“America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk,” Obama said.
- UPI, “Obama heralds domestic natural gas”
Obama, in his State of the Union address Tuesday, said natural gas was one of the foundations for U.S. energy security. He said there’s enough natural gas in the country to meet domestic demand for 100 years but companies working to exploit those reserves must do so responsibly.
- Washington Post,”In State of the Union Address, Obama says he will push forward with fracking”
In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Obama spoke optimistically about the bounty of unconventional natural gas under the eastern United States. “We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years,” Obama said, “and my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy.” This is good news, pretty much no matter where you land on the political spectrum.
- Bloomberg, “Obama Pushes Natural-Gas Fracking to Create 600,000 Jobs”
President Barack Obama pushed drilling for gas in shale rock and support for cleaner energy sources to boost the economy in his final State of the Union address before facing U.S. voters in November.
Hydraulic fracturing, the process of injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to free gas trapped in rock, could create more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade, Obama said yesterday. The process, called fracking, is among a list of energy policies Obama said would fuel economic growth.
“We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years, and my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy,” Obama said.
- POLITICO, “Obama steals GOP’s ‘all of the above’ energy slogan”
Obama also highlighted the economic potential from tapping into the nation’s natural gas supplies, citing independent reports showing the industry could support about 600,000 jobs over the next decade…”This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy — a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper and full of new jobs,” Obama said to rousing applause from Republicans in the House chamber.
Cleaner. Cheaper. More affordable. And insanely abundant. At a time when most folks on Capitol Hill today can’t even agree on what they disagree on, responsible development of American energy resources represents that rarest of ideas in Washington that appear to make sense to just about everyone across the political continuum. Heck, even Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), previously (and currently?) a critic of Marcellus development in his state, told reporters after the speech that he “was glad for the focus on natural gas. It’s a big benefit to Pennsylvania. We’ve got a great natural resource with lots of jobs.”
And he wasn’t the only one talking shale last night. Click around below to see what other folks had to say:
Virginia “Gigi” Lazenby, Chairman, Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA):
“Our industry, made up of mostly very small- and medium-sized businesses, applauds the president for his stated commitment to expanding the responsible development of job-creating American oil and natural gas. As the president made clear this evening, job creation and the restoration of the American dream is a shared goal that exceeds political boundaries. As the president underscored, our nation continues to increase its domestic oil and gas production, creating thousands of well-paying, private sector jobs, providing much-needed relief and savings for struggling consumers and stimulating an otherwise anemic economy.”
Jack Gerard, President and CEO, American Petroleum Institute:
“The administration has an opportunity to turn energy policy in a direction that could provide huge benefits to our economy. And if the President is sincere in this, our industry will work very hard with him to make it happen.” (NOTE: Gerard also added, “If the President is serious about creating more jobs and more energy, allow America’s oil and natural gas companies to produce more of our energy at home, and we’ll put people to work and deliver more revenue to the government. That’s what the American people want.”)
Statement from America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA):
“Tonight’s speech builds on the White House report earlier this month documenting the broad impact that natural gas production can have on investment and job creation across leading sectors of our economy. A range of U.S. industries and their workers are more competitive today thanks to our nation’s vast, affordable natural gas supplies. Along with these opportunities come lower energy costs for consumers and cleaner air.”
Kathryn Klaber, President, Marcellus Shale Coalition:
“We are encouraged that President Obama recognizes the tremendous energy security, environmental, and economic benefits associated with job-creating American shale gas development fueled overwhelmingly through private investment on privately-owned lands. And while presidents of both parties have made a clarion call for more American energy over the past four decades, it is our genuine hope that President Obama’s remarks tonight are reflected in his Administration’s policies that are rooted in sound science and move forward with an aim of leveraging our nation’s abundant natural gas resources on behalf of consumers, families, and small businesses. American natural gas will continue to make our nation stronger and more secure.”
Dave McCurdy, President and CEO, American Gas Association:
“If there was ever a fuel in the right place at the right time, it is natural gas in 2012 and beyond. We’re glad to see the President acknowledge the many benefits natural gas provides for our energy future, not just in the State of the Union Address but also in his latest jobs report…By continuing to increase the use of natural gas, we can make progress on our national priorities of helping to improve our economy, reduce environmental impacts and secure our nation’s energy future.”
Brad Gill, Executive Director, Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York (IOGA of NY):
“In his State of the Union Address Tuesday, President Obama spoke of the important role domestic oil and natural gas will have in securing the nation’s energy future and economic recovery. Using newer technologies to harvest homegrown energy is a vital component in job creation and commerce by powering businesses and ‘factories that are cleaner and cheaper’… The President’s energy policy acknowledges the 600,000 jobs that natural gas production will help create over the next decade. His messages must be heard and considered in New York as the state moves toward allowing safe natural gas development in the Southern Tier.”
Dan Fitzsimmons, President, Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY):
“In tonight’s SOTU address, President Obama affirmed that we don’t have to choose between our economy and the environment in developing shale gas. The president committed the Administration to taking ‘every possible action to safely develop this energy.’ The landowners of NY state stand ready to support this call to action.”
In a scathing New York Post analysis today, Brendan Scott – the paper’s Albany correspondent – uncovers a remarkable and equally questionable connection between one of the state’s most powerful legislative leaders, and his personal financial interest in undercutting responsible natural gas development in the region. Under the headline “Shelly’s $hale game: His law firm pushes gas-drill ‘frack’ suits”, Mr. Scott reports this:
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver leads the fight to block a type of natural-gas drilling in New York, his private law firm is in other states trying to drum up multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the practice, The Post has found.
The speaker’s massive Manhattan-based personal-injury law firm, Weitz & Luxenberg, plans a pair of public forums this week in Pennsylvania and West Virginia to “listen to the concerns of the community, share information and discuss legal options” about the gas-exploration phenomenon known as “hydrofracking” or “fracking.”
Silver (D-Manhattan) … has emerged as a leading foe to expanded natural-gas drilling, which proponents argue could improve New York’s energy independence and revive upstate’s long-stagnant economy.
Drilling advocates, government watchdog groups and even some Democrats say Weitz & Luxenberg’s anti-drilling push, which follows a similar forum last month in Pennsylvania, raises questions about the powerful speaker’s independence on the high-stakes issue.
“You have the speaker highlighting the alleged danger of hydrofracturing at the same time the law firm that’s paying him is out looking for clients interested in suing over the issue,” said a prominent Democrat who has frequent contact with Silver. “It’s further proof that we need a genuine ethics law in New York,” the Democrat said.
At the same time, Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) president took to the pages of several New York papers today to underscoring the enormous opportunity presented by the environmentally proven development of clean-burning shale gas for the Empire State. In her column, “Delaying drilling will hurt NY,” MSC chief Katyrn Klaber writes this in the Ithaca Journal, the Press & Sun Bulletin, and the Elmira Star-Gazette:
In Pennsylvania, Marcellus exploration created more than 88,000 new jobs over the past two years, with researchers from Penn State predicting that number will climb past 110,000 new jobs over the next 12 months. Some of these jobs go to the folks who drill the wells, naturally — but the vast majority are along the supply chain. Certainly there will be thousands of jobs created if New York decides to develop the Marcellus. Less certain is how many of those jobs will follow if Albany continues to delay.
We’re talking about the people who forge steel, manufacture pipe, produce sand, do environmental work, research deeds and operate hotels. Faced with the prospect of indefinite delay in New York, these folks have decided to move ahead in Pennsylvania instead — building facilities and opening offices less than a half-hour’s drive from New York’s border. Those jobs will remain in Pennsylvania, and the longer the delay, the better the chances they’ll be held by Pennsylvanians.
The short-term economic case for harvesting clean energy resources from the Marcellus is no less compelling — especially with 900,000 New Yorkers out of work, and the state dealing with a $9 billion gap in its budget. New taxes, pay freezes for state workers, consolidation of public schools — these are some of the tools that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has indicated he’ll use to get the state back on a path toward fiscal sustainability. Why not one more? Has there ever been a more important time to take advantage of these opportunities? Has there ever been a more obvious one?
And as New York continues to slow-walk the responsible development of the Marcellus Shale’s clean-burning, job-creating natural gas reserves, here’s what they’re saying about the overwhelmingly positive economic and energy security benefits associated with American oil and natural gas production across the nation, enabled by hydrofracturing:
- “U.S. Ingenuity Recasts Energy Landscape”: As horizontal drilling technologies advanced throughout the 1990s and over the past decade, this technique — coupled with hydraulic fracturing, a 60-year-old oil and natural gas stimulation process — has unlocked enormous amounts of job-creating energy reserves here at home that were previously out of reach. This was accomplished by the oil and gas industry without any new tax subsidies, unlike most green energy. … And while the national unemployment rate continues to lag, and hundreds of thousands of Americans who want a job still can’t find one, this environmentally proven production has been a blessing. … Unworkable and far-reaching, Washington-knows-best hydrofracturing regulations would also dramatically undercut the overwhelming progress that our nation continues to make. (Investor’s Business Daily Op-Ed, 1/14/11)
- “Oil companies flock to Greeley area”: [Colorado Oil and Gas Association’s Tisha Conoly-Schuller] played down concerns that have come from critics of hydraulic fracturing, noting that the wells bore several thousand feet below the groundwater aquifer. “Every phase of drilling and hydraulic fracturing is regulated,” she said. “This is a highly regulated and very well-monitored process in Colorado.” (Pueblo Chieftain, 1/15/11)
- “Congress holds half a million jobs hostage”: In the midst of a fledging federal government’s attempts to stimulate the economy, the oil and natural gas industry transformed sleepy North Dakota and Pennsylvania communities into bustling commercial regions. Almost entirely due to oil and natural gas companies’ investment in the state, North Dakota has the lowest employment rate in the country at 3.8 percent. In western North Dakota, there are currently 19,000 workers directly employed by oil producers. This number is expected to rise 8 percent in 2011 as companies look to extract the 3.0-4.3 billion barrels of oil in the Bakken Formation. Similarly, the discovery of the Marcellus Shale natural gas reserve has proved to be a boon for Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia. Natural Gas producers have already invested $4 billion in Pennsylvania creating 44,000 thousand jobs in 2009 and an estimated 89,000 jobs in 2010. (Washington Examiner Op-Ed, 1/11/11)
- “Weld’s economy gets energized”: From the growing exurbs of Frederick and Dacono to the wind-swept prairie along the Wyoming border, Weld County has established itself as an energy hotbed. The oil and gas industry has been a big player here for decades, accounting for 40 percent or more of Weld’s assessed valuation for at least 17 years, said Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Weld County commissioner. The industry accounts for about 4,000 jobs in Weld and supplies the county just shy of $50 million in property tax revenue annually. (Greeley Tribune, 1/15/11)
- “There’s a lot of energy behind area’s wage growth stats”: It’s safe to assume that the energy industry was responsible for much of the wage gain in both counties. … In Washington County, which began billing itself as the “Energy Capital of the East” last year, the growth of companies involved with the exploration and drilling of the Marcellus Shale for natural gas has created thousands of new jobs in the area. Southpointe alone now counts more than 50 energy-related companies, while other smaller drilling and supply companies have taken up residence in various locations within the county. (Washington Observer-Reporter Op-Ed, 1/17/11)
- “Groups work together to bring more jobs to the area”: Six years ago, local economic development groups were working on about 16 projects in Caddo and Bossier parishes. Today, there are 44, according to the North Louisiana Economic Partnership. The boom has been fueled in part by the discovery of the Haynesville Shale natural gas deposit, but also a concerted effort by the NLEP and the Greater Bossier Economic Development Foundation, or GBEDF, as well as local governments and chambers of commerce, to market Northwest Louisiana to companies all over the country. (Shreveport Times, 1/16/11)
AP story on “potentially harmful” chemicals used in fracturing process runs everywhere in Pennsylvania – two days later, we learn DEP sent AP the wrong list (!)
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The national economy continues to struggle, and families, small businesses and communities across the nation remain under the thumb of unacceptably high local unemployment rates. The Associated Press reports yesterday that “The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week by the largest amount in three months.” The AP notes that “Applications for unemployment benefits rose to 471,000 last week, up by 25,000 from the previous week …. It was the first increase in five weeks and the biggest jump since a gain of 40,000 in February.”
We all recognize that our economy, as a whole, is far from out of the woods and on its way to a full recovery. But despite this economic downturn, there is positive news – especially as it relates to job creation – in energy-producing regions of the country.
Here’s just a glimpse of this week’s positive economic (not to mention national security) news created by homegrown energy production enable by the 60-year energy stimulation technology called hydraulic fracturing – which is supported by a majority of Americans and is helping to drive down energy costs for struggling families:
Marcellus shale creates jobs: “The mile-deep Marcellus shale formation covers all or part of seven states and is estimated to contain enough gas to handle the country’s needs for decades. “We felt we needed to hold a meeting like this for a long time,” said Katy Klaber, executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a trade group representing drillers and other companies. “We hear the macroeconomic view about the thousands of jobs created by Marcellus shale drilling, but these examples show that someone locally has a job due to the Marcellus impact.” (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 5/20/10)
Life on a Drilling Rig: “Natural gas drilling is changing the landscape of the northern tier in many ways. … Rick Woodbeck of Towanda is just getting started. After a quick bite to eat with his co-workers they’re off to the job site. …He drills into the Marcellus shale gas deposits miles below the surface of the earth. … “I believe it’s a good thing. The economy is not doing well right now. It did bring a lot of jobs to the area. Restaurants are doing better. Just the local economy is overall better,” Woodbeck said. Not only that, he is seeing more people from the area getting these types of jobs. Six guys on his crew work the rig and four are from Pennsylvania. “There’s more jobs. I see more and more local guys on the rigs,” said Woodbeck.” (WNEP-TV, 5/19/10)
Potential New Jobs in Indian Country: “New jobs on the horizon have many people excited about a potential economic upswing in Montana’s Indian Country. … They offered updates on many new projects on Montana reservations, such as a contract with a Chinese company to build communications equipment in Montana. Another hope on the horizon is to tap into the Bakken shale oil formation. “When you look at the hidden Bakken oil wells producing huge amounts of some of the best crude in the world and now they’re moving on our reservation,” Ft. Peck Tribal Councilman Stoney Anketell said.” (KULR-TV, 5/19/10)
Shale coalition president promotes drilling’s economic benefits: “The president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition on Monday told regional community leaders that development of the Marcellus Shale not only will help the economy on a large scale, but it’s just as important to recognize the effects on the area business owners and the area job market. Kathryn Klaber, who was hired four months ago as the first president of the fledgling coalition, said it was formed in 2008 to advance responsible development of natural gas from the geological formation that lies more than a mile below a good portion of the state.” (Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, 5/21/10)
Oil and gas production is blessing our state: “Maybe it seems like an odd time to celebrate oil and gas exploration, what with a BP well spewing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. But we in Michigan should do just that — celebrate. Bonus payments from an auction of state-owned gas and oil rights this month hit $178 million — more than eight times the record set in 1981, and just $12 million short of the total for all such sales, combined, since 1929. And that money will be reinvested in Michigan public land and recreation.” (Midland Daily News, Op-Ed, 5/16/10)
Oil, Gas Lease prices raising hopes for Local Economic Boom: “Record prices for oil and gas lease rights have raised hopes in one local county of an economic boom. A site in Pioneer township in Missaukee County could determine if the county is going to get a lot busier in the near future. The hopes are that Encana Natural Gas will go ahead with the site, install a pipeline and start producing natural gas.” (9&10 News (MI), 5/12/10)
But despite the overwhelming and undeniable positive economic impact American energy production is having throughout the country, some in Washington – and in local and state governments – remain committed to slowing, or altogether stopping, this progress. How so, and why? Hydraulic fracturing – the critical technology used to stimulate homegrown energy in 9 out of 10 wells nationwide – is the tool that allows America’s producers to reach reserves that would otherwise be unreachable.
So rather than going directly after the carpenter, some are committed to going after his or her tools through proposing layers of unnecessary, duplicative and bureaucratic layers of regulations that would make energy production more difficult, without adding any additional environmental benefit.
But what are elected officials who actually understand this process, as well as other energy experts, saying about these misguided efforts to impede job-creating American energy production? We’re glad you asked.
North Dakota Governor John Hoeven: “Gov. John Hoeven has had a series of meetings with Environmental Protection Agency leaders as the agency moves forward with a process that could end in its regulation of an oil drilling process known as fracturing. The EPA is now studying the effect the process has on ground and drinking water and could potentially use the authority granted in the Clean Water Act to take over the permitting process from the states. … The message Hoeven wants to send to the EPA is “we can regulate fracturing very well, thank you very much.” (Bismarck Tribune, 5/16/10)
IOGA-NY’s Brad Gill: “Oil and gas companies are not “exempt” from the Safe Drinking Water Act. The act was never intended to regulate hydraulic fracturing. In addition, the federal government already regulates many aspects of drilling operations, including truck emissions and wastewater disposal. The state of New York does so as well, with requirements far exceeding those at the federal level.” (Syracuse Post-Standard, 5/14/10)
Marcellus Shale Coalition’s Kathryn Klaber: “The recent shale gas boom has been called a “game changer” in the North American energy picture. It promises to deliver abundant, cheap natural gas for decades to come. Utility companies are counting on it to generate electricity with half the greenhouse emissions of coal, while gas producers are touting it as the truck fuel of the future. … “Hydraulic fracturing has been going on in this country for 60 years. It is not new and there have been no confirmed cases of groundwater impacts from hydraulic fracturing,” said Kathryn Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a Pennsylvania-based industry group.” (Globe and Mail, 5/17/10)
Shepstone Management Co.’s Thomas Shepstone: “Natural gas drilling is not only environmentally responsible, but essential to health. There is, despite all the hysterical statements made by opponents, not one example of gas-well fracking polluting a water supply. Opposition to gas drilling is largely speculation and fear-mongering by those who would have the rest us do nothing to improve our lot, while they live off money inherited or made elsewhere. … Gas drilling is good for us, good for our health and good for the environment we treasure. We cannot save our environment by standing still. It is only responsible development that generates the wealth required to protect resources. Gas drilling is responsible and it will save our environment.” (Wayne Independent, 5/16/10)
Associated Press: “Plenty of folks like Matoushek are eager for the gas, and the royalty checks, to start flowing — including farmers who see Marcellus money as a way to keep their struggling operations afloat. “It’s a depressed area,” Matoushek said. “This is going to mean new jobs, real jobs, not government jobs.” (4/18/10)
Marcellus Shale Coalition Touts Economic Benefits: “Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said the industry complies with environmental regulations. … ”We are eager and ready to work with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, just as we are with every other state government agency and regulatory body, to ensure that safe, responsible, heavily regulated shale gas development continues to drive economic opportunity and job creation in an environmentally responsible way.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/17/10)
Joint natural gas venture will bring more jobs to area: “In terms of hiring, what we anticipate is likely adding about 500 employees over the next five years to accomplish what we will do in our new activities. The vast majority of those employees will be people working in our core operating areas, Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties,” he said. “We are proabably looking at hiring about 100 new employees each year as we ramp up,” he said. “In terms of the types of jobs, they will range from all aspects of the whole drilling operation. … We estimate that for every Atlas employee we hire there’s probably four contractor employees who work for the service companies and others we deal with,” Kupfer said.” (Herald-Standard, 4/18/10)
Thanks to Fracturing, Gas OPEC looks less likely: “Qatar, GECF member and the world’s biggest gas exporter, has invested heavily in building new LNG facilities and is not interested in reducing production. Russia, another of the group’s biggest exporters, no longer supports the idea either, despite recent comments from Gazprom bristling at the success of US shale gas, and its problems with the growing preference for cheaper spot pricing for pipeline gas.” (Financial Times, 3/19/10)
Shale Gas Generating Millions for Local Louisiana Communities: “Mineral lease bonus payments in the Haynesville Shale natural gas area totaled more than $2.1 million this past week for Caddo Parish and Shreveport. Parish government raked in another $1.3 million in advance payments as part of an agreement to allow oil or natural gas to be extracted. The state Mineral Board leased rights to about 165 acres of Caddo public property during its auction in Baton Rouge on Wednesday.” (Associated Press, 4/18/10)
Prosperity 101: PA College President Weighs-in on Shale Gas: “Northeastern Pennsylvania has an opportunity to become part of the solution through the careful and thoughtfully regulated extraction of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. Natural gas emits far less carbon than oil or coal. Other technologies such as nuclear-generated power and wind power also offer significant opportunities, but will take longer to develop. Natural gas is an excellent short-term way to limit pollutants while not sacrificing continued economic growth and prosperity here and abroad.” (Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader, 4/19/10)
Quicksilver CEO: Plenty of life left in Barnett; And Thanks HF, These Job-Creating Resources Are Now Reachable: “Quicksilver Resources Inc. is about a decade into the Barnett Shale, but it still has another 10 years of projects ahead, the company’s top executive said last week. The Fort Worth-based oil and gas exploration company began leasing in the North Texas gas play back in the early 2000s and now produces 250 million cubic feet equivalent of gas per day from its 162,000-acre leasehold, which runs from Denton County southwest to Bosque County. … “We’ve got a lot of gas up here in this Horn River Basin,” Darden said. The company has drilled four wells to date, one of which was flaring at more than 10 MMcf per day before being hydraulically fractured.” (Fort Worth Business Press, 4/19/10)
About Those Jobs: PA Paper Says College Connects Courses, Gas Industry: “With a new industry bringing truckloads of gas workers from other areas, Pennsylvania College of Technology has begun offering a number of programs to help area residents learn the basic skills needed for employment in the Marcellus Shale region. The process of forging a partnership with industry companies and contractors began about a year ago when a Penn College team, in partnership with the Penn State Cooperative Extension, launched the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center to act as a central resource for workforce training.” (Williamsport Sun-Gazette, 4/18/10)
PA DEP all alone in continuing to insinuate that natural gas exploration had something to do with Dunkard Creek — while EPA, WV agencies say otherwise
Name that School! (Who’s Developing Technologies to Recycle Water from Shale Gas Development)
We’ll give you a couple clues: Most recently, they were crowned Big East tournament champions in men’s basketball. Its notable alumni include Don Knotts of Three’s Company and the Andy Griffith Show, and Billy Mays – who, may he rest in peace, would quite literally sell you the shirt off his back. Give up? It’s West Virginia University.
Shale gas development, enabled by new, cutting-edge horizontal drilling techniques coupled with the 60-year old energy production technology called hydraulic fracturing, is helping to unlock America’s estimated 100 years supply of clean-burning natural gas. This fracturing process requires relatively large amounts of water, however. And just as technologies in the telecommunications, healthcare and automotive industries continue to advance, getting better and smarter, so too are technologies required for producing homegrown, job-creating energy reserves. These advancements – which continue to progress almost daily – help safeguard air, water and overall environmental quality, and bring down operating costs, too.
Paul Ziemkiewicz and Jen Fulton, environmental scientists at West Virginia University’s Water Research Institute are “trying to find a better, more environmentally sound way to drill for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation,” with assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy. West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Emily Corio reports this today under the headline “Researchers test way to reuse Marcellus drilling water”:
“Marcellus Shale gas development in West Virginia is going to explode over the next couple of years that is the rate of gas development, the size of the reserve; it’s just going to be a very big new industry for the state,” said Ziemkiewicz, director of the Water Research Institute. “Dealing with the water issue is something we need to do up front rather than wait till we have to play catch up and we’ve really got some problems.”
Companies can now drill in Marcellus shale because of a relatively new technique called hydraulic fracturing where water is forced down into a gas well; the shale is fractured from the water pressure and sand is used to prop open the cracks so the natural gas can escape.
Ziemkiewicz says the filter system they’re testing would not clean the water so that it could be returned to waterways but he says the water would be clean enough for drillers to reuse it.
Jen Fulton, program coordinator with the Water Research Institute, says companies are interested in the research because they’re spending a lot of money trucking the water to underground injection site or special treatment plants.
“We’ve gotten a lot of enthusiasm from the industry because they want to be able to reuse the water onsite. They, at this point, need to collect fresh water and bring it to the next site they go to so if they could just use the water they already have, it would really help,” Fulton said.
While these technological advancements are encouraging, many operators – especially in the Marcellus Shale – are already recycling 100 percent of the water used in the hydraulic fracturing process.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported this back in October under the headline “Range Resources recycles all waste water from Washington drilling”:
Range Resources Corp. announced today that it is now recycling all of the waste water produced by its natural gas drilling operations. … “Range’s recycling program is helping to eliminate wastewater, lower drilling costs, reduce consumptive water needs by 25 percent, and lessen local truck traffic,” said Jeff Ventura, Range’s president and chief operating officer, in a statement. … Recycling won’t be the only long-term water treatment option in reducing waste water from drilling, but it will play a significant role, Ventura added.
State regulators are well-aware of these recycling efforts, as well. In fact, in New York State’s draft regulatory blueprint for shale gas production, this is laid out on page 495 of the document:
It is beneficial to the operators to implement water conservation and recycling practices because of the potential difficulties obtaining the large volumes of water needed for hydraulic fracturing. Most or all operators will recycle or reuse flowback water to reduce the need for fresh water.
The Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection’s Allen Eichler said this about water use and treatment, as it relates to fracturing, in February:
Now most of the fluids in the process are either lost in the formation or recycled.
And in a February release, the Marcellus Shale Coalition stated this about recycled water efforts:
The industry currently treats or recycles all of its flowback water. Recycling accounts for approximately 60 percent of the water used to complete Marcellus Shale wells, with greater percentages predicted for the future. There are more than a dozen approved water treatment facilities available to treat flowback water, with plans for additional capacity in the future.
White House staffer “unclear” whether info on hydraulic fracturing is available to the public; EID clears up the confusion
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