A Moment That Matters
Description
Fracking in Southwestern Pennsylvania is a big thing that I have witnessed and observed. Being at my house, at one time we can see 3-5 different active gas wells
and this has been steady for years. As for closeness, there are 2 gas well pads on my road, one in the field across my house and three on the roads connecting to my house. I also have ties to my family’s farm 5 miles away. This was introduced in 2009 and is still working today. This has had many changes to land physical state and how my family has been affected by the natural resource fracking industry. For this study, I will be using personal experiences, observations, and research.
Before the explosion of fracking in Appalachia for Marcellus Shale, family farms were struggling financially to stay functioning with income and production. This is what started the chain reaction of many farmers agreeing to grant access for Range Resources and Mark West to have the land and resources for a steady payment. Today, many farms in this region have adopted the gas well to have a steady income to help manage their farms. This also brought many issues including environmental contamination, useable lands, fragmentation of land, noise and light pollution, and physical barriers to the land. There were also money issues that happened throughout the process including unsteady rates, rates failing after away, and not getting a fair share.
So, the common theme is that most of the farmers were excited to see these paychecks but never really knew what these fracking pads would make/cost, how long they would be there (still here a decade later), and the surrounding land changes during the fracking process.
What is Fracking?
Gas well has a series of steps to be able to extract the natural gas out of the Earth’s crust. The first step is the preparation of the location and site. This is where Range Resources, natural gas extractor, locates the best location for the fracking pad and prepares for all the laws that are involved with extractions and landowners on where and what they need from them. Once determined,
the next step is the installation of the site. This is where construction crews come in to install the permanent gas well pad and the pipelines to the main plant. Once these are approved, the drilling and fracking process will begin.
The drilling process involves high amounts of machinery to be able to create access to the shale that is at least 7,000 feet underground. As shown in the diagram, the drilling first is vertical direction until it is at the shale. Then there is a horizontal drilling pipe in the shale layer. Once all the wells on the site are in this phase, it moves onto the fracking process. This is where the chemicals are mixed and pushed through the pipes to fracture the shale. This is then pumped into storage tanks or pipelines to be taken to the physical plant for the needed natural gas products.
The final stage is the production stage. This is where the fracking towers and trucks leave the site and natural gas is produced. There is a series of equipment that stay permanently because the natural gas will continue to be produced for the next few decades and technology allows for the collection and transportation of this. The company still comes out every day to check if everything is running right and occasionally call in a truck to empty out the storage tanks.
Family Farm with Fracking Pads
Sited Microculture
These sited microcultures are family/landowners of farms that have accepted the addition of Range Resources extracting natural resources from their property. Marcellus Shales is found in most of West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, North East Pennsylvania, and Eastern Ohio. In the map, the brown is the area that contains Marcellus Shale meaning that they only can frack in this area and the dots pin where these sites are located.
There are 2 groups of people doing different things on the site. The farmer is running their farm producing crops and animals and the gas well has people transforming the land to extract the natural gases in any manner. The gas well pad requires lots of land for the extraction of gas and typically in hay or pasture field-based because it has the best access points to main roadways, flat land for the pad and pond, and pipelines to transport the extractions of the site. This causes the farmer to change the way these agricultural lands are produced creating a new landscape.
Fracking in Pennsylvania began in 2004 but had a huge increase in production in 2010-2015. You can see this in the Penn State Outreach diagram with the years and amount of unconventional gas well production. Today, there is there are new gas well production and expansion of existing pads.
Why are they doing this? The gas well people are extracting natural gas so the human population can continue to use energy that is not coal or wood. As for the farmer, they see this as a better opportunity to become financially stable without selling, growing, or auctioning off the farm. This involves the unknown sacrifices to some of the lands but will adapt to keep the farm running. This is also why it creates a sense of group. The farmers have new challenges and expectations that other farmers have not experienced before to be financially stable while maintaining agricultural happiness.
My Views and Observations
For this study, I will be focusing on my area, Washington County, Pennsylvania where I am a rural resident that is affected and have connections to someone that has a gas well pad on their property, My house is affected by the gas well by seeing visual changes to the land from the pipes crossing through almost every field, the gas well traffic on the road, noise pollution of the fracting at night, and the lights/ burning on the gas wells. On my family’s farm, the gas well was introduced in 2009 and is about to become active again, just signed for the expansion of the gas well pad last fall. The gas well pad was placed on top of the hill where there was a hayfield but it also fragmented the pasture field to be able to connect to the road. The pipelines also have had shifts to the land from digging trenches for the pipes in all fields and forests. This also affects nonfarmers because these pipes are connected to other sites causing fragmentation to forests and properties. This gas well pad has also changed the grade and slope of the land every time the gas wells come back to the land to extract more natural gas with newer technology. This experience has come back to the issues including the unknowing issues with mineral rights, being ripped off from money the first round, there were some contaminated issues, the visual of the pad, and noise and light pollution. There is also the visual of a sound wall that towers over the site creating a visual ugliness.
This is a compelling group and place because I have been a witness and has and will continue to affect my life living under the constant changes to the farms around me. This in a way is a familiar group of people because I am technically one that is affected by it and I also what the boom of gas wells expanding in my area. From riding the bus for 30 minutes every day, I saw many being installed changing the landscape as a whole and with studying landscape architecture, I see many of the issues with these sites. One of the strange atmospheres I see is with the gas well pad is that nobody knows or understands what happens on the site or what happens with the resources. The problematic part is that these gas well pads are installed in the most unsustainable practices and do not always consider the people they affect. When gas wells are active they cause high amounts of noise and light pollution throughout the whole night. There why of preventing this is not always helpful for the farm and their neighbors. The weird thing that I have thought amount is why do the gas well workers think their solutions work without talking to the families or taking opinions. To help with sounds they try and add a soundproof wall which is along one side which causes people to still hear the fracking but does not include the trucks that constantly move all day.
Moment That Matters
As for the moment that matters, this is how the gas well people have to change the landscape and the manner they have changed it. The land was severely altered by adding the access road in and removing the top of the hill for the pad. This excess dirt was placed in a mound or placed into the hollow when they could have used it to shape the land to create a barrier. This mound is placed on the other side because this will create a barrier to have a noise barrier for the family on the farm. The wall currently is engineered to have the most effect for other people with the light pollution and noise. So, the family still hears and sees everything because of this engineered design meaning that depending on the angle around the barn, one can see the equipment and see the lights during the night. Landscape architects could help with the design implementation because the gas well pad is the place for conveniences not in a way that does not affect the surrounding community and it also removes all vegetation without replacing it.
Microculture
Information is viewed, observed, and expanded on from the experiences and conversations I have had at my family’s farm and the introduction of a gas well.
Rights in a Public Space
Access
The farm is full of different types of access, physically, visually, and symbolically as shown in the diagram below. First off the farm is more of private- semiprivate land where certain people are allowed to come on and access certain areas. Access to the farm, one must drive up the lane which is one car length wide and there is a sign at the entrance saying the Five R West Family Farm, American Farm Bureau. This is guided by the pasture field fence and trees to the central point of the farm. This creates a no visual from the main road giving privacy to the family. This is the same lane that accesses the barn for the milk truck driver and other farmers picking up hay. Shortly after, the lane continues to connect the equipment sheds and house to the barn since that is where most of the travel is. The dirt roads run along the pasture fences or the tree lines creating access points to check on the pasture fields and access the fields. There are some access points along the fence to be able to take the tractor in to feed the animals, count animals, or for moving them to another field.
Around the house, there are different points of access. The main access is a stone path from the garage to the side porch entrance (main entry point). This is physically difficult for people will physical disabilities because not only is the driveway and path made of stones and gravel, there is at least 1 stair to enter the house. As for accessing the barn, coop, and equipment barns, there is no visual. This is because you walk across the grass to your destination. In the winter, they shovel 2 paths, one from the basement to the barn, and the central access to the north equipment barn for wood. When guests are over, the yard area around the house turns into a big gathering place since it is open. There are temporary tables and games placed here and porches are lined with tables and food for the dinner. This is a very welcoming space since there are no physical boundaries such as closed doors and gates.
In the last decade, there has been the addition of the gas well pad. This has a main connection point from the road, dividing the pasture into 2 fields. To prevent trespassing onto the gas well pad, there are gates on the road as well as walls around parts of the gas well pad. This is higher than the house losing some privacy from existing years, but in nonactive times there is little motion.
Freedom of Action
There are many rules and regulations at the farm to promote safety. This includes asking before entering any barn or field, using the machinery correctly, wearing the appropriate clothing, and following instructions that are given. Different people that come to the farm have different standards because they are doing different activities. Those that are working on the farm, are allowed almost anywhere because they have been instructed on what they are working on. These tend to be close families and they grew up with the rules and know the issues that occur. As for extended family and friends, they are only allowed in the area around the house which is divided by access roads to the other barns. This is unless guided by a family member to go down to the barn to see the animals. This creates safety for the farmer and spooking the animals. Those picking up farm supplies tend to be at the barn with someone to help load and get them on their way. As for the Gas well people, they are only permitted to stay on the land owned by them and call if they have to speak with the landowner. This is a mutual idea with the initial signing. So most of the freedom is lost while at the farm because this can be a dangerous place when you are not following the rules. They are very easy to follow and there is the physical boundary or gates and fences to remind you where to be or go.
Claim
The claim to the farmer and his family/friends is this farm is the ultimate priority of their lives because the farm provides his income, home, and the memories of his youth and the youth of his family members. In this microculture, farmers and their families must put the farm first because this is their whole life and they need to be there for success. The challenges that come along with this are extended family and friends need to be accepting because agriculture happening every day of the year. Especially during the holidays, the farmer still has to be near the farm to able able to care for the animals. This creates family gathering events at a local family’s house, event space, or at the farm itself. A farm is also a meaningful place for the family because it is typically passed down from generation to generation such as my family and holds once in lifetime memories. My grandfather adopted the dairy farm after his father. As for my grandmother, she appreciates the farm since she also grew up on a farm. So, our family events are at my great-grandmother’s house (old farm) which is 20 minutes away because it is convenient for most of the family because they live in the area and several have a farm. When the gas well came, it set up a bunch of challenges that the family had to work around when they were installing and drilling. This included waiting on fencing to be put up when the access road divided the fields, moving the cows to other fields when pipelines were installed, reseeding and fertilizing the fields that had pipelines, and the disruption that occur from the site (lights and sounds).
Changes
Over time there have been some permanent and temporary changes that have happened to the farm. From the addition and elimination of equipment barns to the sizes and location of the placement of the vegetable gardens. One of the biggest changes was the addition of the gas well pad in 2009. This took existing fields and pasture for natural gas extraction and pipe transportation. Another change that’s noticeable for guests was the renovation of the house. This includes expanding the kitchen and dining room so the family could come together to create and eat homemade foods. Also, the staircase was updated to minimize the steepness for better safety. As for temporary changes, this is a yearly change in round bale placement for storage. There is also a picnic table that is moved around the yard for dinner or prepping vegetables. Most of the changes to the farm are made for ultimate use or it needs updating before it causes injury. As for the gas well, this is a mix of permanent and temporary changes. First is the pad and access, this is a permanent change to the landscape with the road and pad. The pad has had some temporary changes in sizes when the pad became inactive. Other temporary changes are when fracking, there are equipment, retention ponds, and pipelines added to the land. These then are removed once these are done and the land becomes fields again. Where the pipelines are, this only happens once and they stay once they are placed. You can see these changes within the aerial timeline.
Ownership and Disposition
Grandfather is the owner of all the land on the farm. The family is always welcome to come over but they have restrictions on where they should be since safety is important. Another aspect of ownership and disposition is the introduction of the gas well. This is where the family farm gets payments from the gas well people so they have the rights to be on that section of the land. This relationship is the gas well workers are only allowed on that piece of land and my family is not permitted to go on this section of land other than the passing lanes for pasture fields and hayfield access on the access road. The gas well has legal ownership of certain areas of the land. There were legal documents that were signed to give them ownership to the mineral rights underground and there are leases that were signed so they could have an access pad to drill from and place pipelines. The land from the pipelines is returned to the landowner once the pipelines are installed.
Another ownership is with the neighbor. For the longest time, my grandfather paid rent to Mr. Mower to use the 100 acres of the field around his house but came with rules. He had to use corn because it was pretty and he was the only person allowed to be on the land for legal reasons. Now Ms. Moyar owns the land, she also allows my family to use it as hay with the same rules Mr. Mower had. The final piece of ownership during hunting season. This is where family friends are welcome to come and hunt in the woods and sleep in the guest room. They are only permitted to be in the one section of woods because it is away from the house and there are no cows there. Those that are not shooting are not welcome in that area for those two weeks for the same reason of safety.
Relationships Matrice
Interaction Matrice
Relationship Matrice
Ecologies of Place
The tip of the iceberg is the wall that ‘visually’ and physically wall that separates the gas well pad from the rest of the farm.
In this section perspective what one sees when the family goes up the lane. There is security and gates to go up the gas well entry as well as surrounding walls and fencing creating privacy and security for functions that happen on the gas well pad. But one can see the fracking tower, burning stack, and the trucks going behind the storage containers. In the collage, this shows that one can see that from the ground floor of the house parts of the gas well pad are visible for the family to see.
So, the artifact that is the most important is the sound wall. For the sound and light pollution, the wall is supposed to help with is on the opposite side of the gas well pad from the farmhouse. With it in this direction, the sound, and some lights are absorbed before it reaches the neighbor’s house. This has a negative effect on the family because we can hear the trucks come in and out all night long and the bright lights light the sky and surrounding land.
As for the sound elimination of the wall, this is not the most effective. As a neighbor to another fracking pad, I tend to be able to hear the effect
and it sounds like high pitch hum or a freight train depending on the intensity of that night. As for my grandparent, the wind blew away from the house so they did hear much of the fracking but when it was not, it was very loud. The bigger sound issue that was thought of was the trucks that go up and down the hill and let go of air pressure. There was no consideration in preventing the sound for these trucks and the barn was not in the right spot to block any of it. Finally, aesthetically, the wall is ugly beige or green color and is tall and wide enough that you can see it all over the farm.
The engineers put some effort into the wall but their effectiveness does not fully work and it is done cheaply. The placement for the wall only uses the normal wind pattern to absorb only the fracking noises and the minimum amount of wall on that side to prevent sounds. As for trucks, there was no effort, probably not even thought about since the dirt was irrationally moved creating a steeper ridgeline above the security house. This had the potential of the mound being in a berm shape on the farm side to help with the truck traffic and the family and to be able to use the land next to the be security house.
Informing Design Through Ethnography
Many people living in Western Pennsylvania’s rural lands have seen and are dealing with the consequences of the boom of Fracking for Marcellus Shale over the last decade. These Fracking pads have many steps and equipment that are unknown to the landowner. The introduction of the gas well provides some challenges and uncertainty for the landowner, especially those that are maintaining a farm. This is a guide provides information on what a landowner can expect when a gas well is being added to their land. This includes what is happening on the well, what equipment to expect, and the potential disruptions that one can experience.
Resources
www.fractracker.org/2022/01/introducing-fractrackers-comprehensive-new-pennsylvania-map/#map
www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/04/f0/how_is_shale_gas_produced.pdf
extension.psu.edu/natural-gas-exploration-a-landowners-guide-to-leasing-in-pennsylvania
library.municode.com/tx/copperas_cove/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH14OIGAWEOR