This week I’m doing this a little differently than I usually write this blog. Rather than focusing on a solid topic for the entirety of the work, I’m going to provide two unique perspectives from different areas of the United States on how fracking is affecting different areas. They provide a broader scope of how fracking is both beneficial and harmful to areas that it is carried out. We’ll visit Arizona and its newly found Helium deposits and Alabama and its recent earthquakes.

Arizona’s Petrified Forest

We all know about helium. It’s that stuff that you put in balloons that makes them float. Yes, but did you know helium is used in devices such as MRIs, nuclear power plants, and even fiber-optic communication wires? Helium isn’t a renewable resource on Earth. Since it is less dense than air, if used helium isn’t recaptured, it floats off into space and is gone forever. Around the globe, prices are rising to all-time highs as supplies are beginning to run out!

As you know, natural gas is the usual substance that fracking is used to capture, but what about helium? Well in Arizona some companies are ready to drill inside Petrified Forest National Park to harvest the rare gas. Over 80 drilling sites have been created on the preserved land, producing a much-needed rise in helium stock. Due to President Trump’s relaxed stance on fracking, more and more drills are popping up on nationally protected land. The helium deposits are harvested using predominantly acid fracking. If you read my last post, you’d already know just how terrible this could be to the groundwater of the surrounding area.

Locals have been voicing their opinions very often to try to get the local and state governments to see how dangerous fracking on the protected land is for the national park. Families have described being worried as Arizona has less accessible groundwater compared to other states as is and fracking could pollute it. Others claim that the noise and light from fracking would disturb wildlife and possibly deface the beautiful landscape.

Alternatively, many people see this as a chance to boost the state economy and bring jobs to the area. Helium is much more precious than methane and ethane gases as well, meaning that the money that can be made is higher than the fracking in other areas of the country. Honestly, it’s tough to say what’s more important here due to the fact that helium reserves are at an all-time low, but at the same time, fracking could be very dangerous to the environment especially in a unique area such as the Petrified Forest.

Source:

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/fracking-arizona-could-lead-next-helium-boom-petrified-forest-national-park

Alabama is Having Earthquakes. Could Fracking Be the Cause?

In the state of Alabama, natural gas fracking has become a booming part of the economy just as it has in many other areas of the country. But since 2008, seismic activity has spiked to extremely high amounts. Many people are pointing to fracking as the main cause. A natural fault line runs directly through the lower portion of the state and continues into Florida. After being dormant for many years, the number of recordable activity has seen a huge jump and officials have begun tests to find out why.

It has been documented that fracking processes whether it be the usual pressure fracking using water and sand or acid fracking can cause slight to moderate earthquakes. Usually, they are not noticeable due to how small they are, but over time, if enough drilling is done, they can become quite powerful. The drilling process of removing and breaking deep underground rock to capture natural gas can cause rock formations to shift, but what is known to cause the shakes is actually the disposal of polluted water. To keep the chemicals and tainted water used in fracking from entering groundwater supplies, the materials are forced deep into the earth to points believed to have no effect on the pollution levels of groundwater. To put it bluntly, this is really terrible and stupid, especially near naturally occurring fault lines like the one found in Alabama.

The United States Geological Survey or the USGS has been looking to the effect fracking can have on an area’s seismic activity. From the 1970s to around 2008, only 25 occurrences of activity were recorded in Alabama. Since that time, occurrences have exploded to over 600! Concurrently, fracking has become very popular in the state as well. The USGS has labeled the area as one of 21 locations in the US where drilling for natural resources has been linked to causing earthquakes. Even with this current label though, the USGS says that at this point, only speculation can be made on the earthquakes’ causes, as their studies are not yet finished.

Source:

https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2019/03/did-fracking-cause-south-alabama-earthquakes-federal-researchers-investigating.html

What do you think about these situations?

In the prior posts, I have been discussing the climate of the fracking industry, the process of fracking, compared it to other energy production in the US, and the concerns that surround fracking. This week I want to provide a more current status on fracking within the political realm and provide some current events that surround fracking in the US. Though originally I was hoping to cover solely this industry in the state of Pennsylvania, I think it would be more beneficial to broaden the coverage to a more national spotlight to allow a better and more detailed understanding. As you most likely know, fracking for natural gas happens in many areas in our country, not just here in PA.

What is one of the biggest issues that face the natural gas industry right now?

As in previous installments, I went into detail on the problems faced by the actual drilling process, but what about the transportation of the substance? Natural gas is predominantly moved by means of massive pipeline systems. These pipelines run up to hundreds even thousands of miles. Most portions are unregulated and unchecked by the companies that own them and they run through areas spanning from forests to residential neighborhoods. Gas companies’ reasoning behind this method of transport points toward efficiency compared to using trains and trucks. Another reason is ultimately that it is “safer” as well. Let’s dive into some examples of why this isn’t always the case.

Rolling Stone’s Justin Nobel went in-depth on some of the biggest natural gas pipeline disasters that have recently occurred. To be honest, it’s scary to find out just how destructive a leak or rupture in these systems can be to the surrounding area.

January 21^st: In Noble County Ohio, a pipeline ruptured sending flames over 100 feet into the air. It engulfed an entire house, trapping a 12-year-old child inside. Thankfully the child’s grandfather was able to save him, though the young boy received burns to multiple parts of his body. Sadly, the explosion destroyed the home and all of the family’s possessions. The gas giant, Enbridge, controls the 9,000-mile pipe and it isn’t even the first time this pipe system has sprung a leak.

April 2016: The same pipeline erupted in Salem Township, PA. This time it created 50-foot wide and 12-foot deep crater that destroyed a road and a home. It also sent a man to the hospital with 3rd-degree burns over the majority of his body. Though this case happened almost three years ago, I wanted to explain the power of these blasts and how devastating they can be to the local area.

Nobel goes on to speak on the other gas line bursts that have occurred, many being here in PA.

The Hidden Risk in the Fracking Boom

What is going on in the political realm currently?

In the state of Florida, a groundbreaking, or should I say the exact opposite, Bill has been introduced and passed. This Bill will put an indefinite halt on two of three types of natural gas and oil fracking that has been taking place. Senate Bill 7064 has been passed which states that that hydraulic and acid fracking will no longer be permitted with Florida, though matrix acidization is allowed to continue.

Hydraulic fracking and its process have been discussed previously in this blog. Acid fracking and matrix acidization, on the other hand, are newer techniques. These forms use drilling just as hydraulic fracking, but where they differ is that instead of pressurized air and sand being pushed into underground rock, powerful acids are introduced to break down the rock. In my opinion, this is even less safe and could cause even more chances of pollution to groundwater and many natural ecosystems.

It is interesting to see this one foot forward, two steps back type of approach to handling the concerns surrounding fracking in our country. The state found that using acids which could extremely and dangerously pollute Florida’s landscape over a form of fracking that could be much safer if you want to put it in that perspective. The deciding factor being that matrix acidization utilizes low-pressure interaction with underground deposits instead of the high-pressure water and sand introduction by hydraulic and acid fracking.

To me, this seems like a very ineffective way to try and solve any issue related to fracking. Why stop some forms but not all? With this bill, the only cause will be economic destruction in the form of unemployment and decreased revenue for many Florida companies, while having no benefit toward lowering the pollution that can be caused by fracking.

Florida Senate Bill Introduction

What do you think?

So I’ve been talking about fracking and the stipulations to the western PA areas that have been benefiting or dealing with its drawbacks. What I have failed to really talk in depth is the process of fracking itself. So in this post, I will be discussing the benefits of fracking compared to other forms of energy creation such as coal burning, which is currently very popular, or nuclear power. I will also be covering an in-depth description of the fracking process from the point of drilling to natural gas power plants. As I said in the first post, I want to have an unbiased view on fracking as energy creation is something we should all have an open mind toward.

The Process of Fracking

You’ve most likely heard and understand how oil is drilled from the earth. A very long pipe is drilled down into the ground until it hits a deposit. Well, fracking isn’t much different.

Fracking drills are structured quite differently to account for the fact they are used to contain a gas, not a liquid. A drill pipe is pushed down, possibly hundreds of feet, into the ground. New technology then allows drillers to then move the drill head either lower into the crust or vertically due to a flexible and maneuverable control system.

Once the drilling process is completed, water and sand are pressurized and forced into the drilled hole. This “fractures” underground rock deposits and forces any escaping gas into a containment device. This device then acts as a vacuum, sucking the natural gas out from the ground into storage units. The containers are then distributed by their respective companies to power plants or refining facilities.

Check out this video for a detailed overview of a drilling site. It’s honestly not a simple process in the slightest.

Natural Gas Compared to Other Energy Production

We’ve all heard of coal powerplants. They’re dirty, inefficient, and extremely detrimental to the environment. Coal burning plants are one of the leaders in US carbon emissions! Its mining process has caused cancer and black lung in alarming amounts as well. Substances such as Carbon Monoxide, Sulfur Dioxide, and many more are released into the atmosphere in extremely high volume every time a plant is active. Let me put it plain and simple, coal isn’t the answer and never will be. It’s cheap and easy to use, that’s all she’s got.

Since the 1980s, nuclear power has also been a predominant way of creating energy. Using radioactive Uranium, a chemical reaction is created to produce extreme amounts of heat. This heat is used to turn water into steam to turn massive turbines, creating power. Obviously, there are a few major safety and health risks that surround nuclear power. Uranium is highly radioactive. This can cause cancer from high or prolonged exposure or radiation sickness, in the short term, if a human is exposed to high levels of the substance. There are national security risks as well because if there were to be an attack on or malfunction of one of these plants, causing a reactor breach or failure, millions of people could be exposed to radiation. With a large enough leak, communities even miles away could face horrible effects. Ever heard of Chernobyl? That nuclear reactor literally exploded. Even decades later, the surrounding Ukrainian area is uninhabitable by humans and is causing health issues for the flora and fauna in the surrounding area.

Natural gas burning, on the other hand, is giving coal a run for its money and is much safer than nuclear power. For starters, Methane burning produces nearly half the carbon emissions as coal. That alone is very important to solving a huge issue in the US and the world in the realm of climate change. So far no major health risks come with the drilling process to workers as well as its burning in power plants. They pose no major threats to surrounding areas or risk radiation exposure in any way.

As you can see, fracking is revolutionizing the energy industry. The process still has much room for improvement as seen by my previous posts though it is improving. As an extremely profitable and abundant resource, natural gas is definitely the future not only for energy but is soon to be used in cars and possibly even trains and planes! Check out my next post where I dive into the political climate that surrounds fracking in Pennsylvania and other places in the country.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401

10 Reasons Fracking Improves American Lives

As I alluded to in my last post, I am going to try to cover fracking with as little bias as possible. This is a mostly negative point of view this week as a new report has come out pertaining to the correlation of natural gas fracking and increasing Radon levels in Pennsylvania homes.

What is Radon you might ask? Well, it’s just a highly radioactive gas that is seeping into basements of Pennsylvania homes from deep beneath the ground. Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that forms from naturally occurring Uranium in the Earth’s crust. The substance is a proven carcinogen (a substance that is proven to cause cancer) and is the second most common cause of lung cancer in the United States (Am I at Risk of Radon Poisoning?).

Courtesy of High Country Conservation Center

So how does Radon pertain to natural gas fracking? Since the boom of the natural gas industry in the mid-2000s, Radon levels detected in basements of most PA homes has spiked to what many consider very dangerous levels. The Marcellus Shale deposits, which are rich in natural gas, have been found to contain Radon. Many environmentalists fear that the increase in gas drilling in the state has also caused the displacement of this radioactive gas, causing it to rise and settle in residents’ basements and homes.

Radon levels have been found in unsafe levels in many Pennsylvania homes. In some cases, levels have been found to be more prevalent than even some Uranium mines. Researches say though that this has been a trend since the 1980s when preliminary studies found that Pennsylvania’s soils and mineral deposits have very unique and prime conditions for Radon creation (Fracking is on the Rise). Some researchers believe that increased populations in general, leading to more construction, is too blame for the presence of the radioactive substance. You can decide for yourself on the validity of that claim. Though it is also known that levels and detection have increased greatly in the last 15 years.

The main issues with Radon, other than the fact that it is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, are very startling. This is because there aren’t any symptoms from the substance itself. They only become apparent when the material has caused lung cancer. Studies show that increased amounts of Radon consumption can lead to lung cancer in as little as 5 years. Symptoms of lung cancer include: wheezing, coughing up blood, persistent cough, and susceptibility to pneumonia or bronchitis (Am I at Risk of Radon Poisoning?).

Many environmentalists believe that natural gas fracking displaces Radon in the same fashion as it displaces methane for consumption. The only differences being that drilling companies don’t have the means (nor the concern) for collecting it and keeping it from entering residences. When drills pump their chemicals and water into their wells to push natural gas out it, disturbs the concealed Radon gas as well, causing it to rise up through the crust.

Is this enough to raise concerns or cause a reevaluation of the rate that natural gas is drilled? Maybe not, as a simple correlation such as this does not exactly mean that drilling is the cause for the spike in Radon levels. But if you’re reading this you probably would at least respect my unprofessional mechanical engineering student opinion when I say that there is most likely causation present. Drilling is highly active in this state and Radon is known to be found in abnormally high levels in the Marcellus Shale. That’s all I can say.

There are few ways to test for Radon. There are many forms of testing that can be done in only a few days, and there are also more detailed tests that can be done over a 90 day period or even more. Information on these tests can be found here if you are interested.

There are some basic actions that can be taken to reduce the levels of the gas in your home. If you’re a PA resident like myself or just want to be precautious for the sake of your family’s health, you might want to look into them for yourself. Sealing and caulking the seams of your basement floor are a great start! There are also more expensive options such as installing an air ventilation system in your home or basement to expel the buildup of stagnant air as a more successful option.

Like I said previously, energy is a very fickle and questionable field today. Currently, there are no truly sustainable sources that are known to be totally environmentally friendly. What do you think about the Radon concern that faces PA?

Sources:

https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-08-18/fracking-rise-pennsylvania-so-are-radon-levels-are-two-connected

https://www.epa.gov/radon

https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-home-guide/radon-poisoning#home-testing

With over 11,000 wells for drilling, Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s leaders in natural gas production (PA Shale Viewer). A large deposit of Marcellus Shale, a mineral layer under the Earth, has sparked natural gas fracturing also known as fracking has become a huge industry for the state.

On a personal level, I find fracking (if done correctly and safely) very beneficial to local communities for a few reasons. Firstly, it has introduced over 250,000 new jobs for residents just within the state of PA (How Many Jobs). Secondly, if carried out in a regulated manor, natural gas drilling is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to create energy at the given moment. But that won’t stop me from pointing out the flaws of big business and their wrongdoings in the industry, as you will see in the following paragraphs.

Using extreme pressure, drilling companies such as Columbia Gas, pump thousands of gallons of water and chemicals into the Earth to harvest gas deposits. What chemicals you might ask? Well, you don’t know and officially, as a September report, you won’t know. Over 50% of drilling sites in PA left undisclosed what exactly they are pumping below the state within their pipes. It is unknown whether the chemicals are harmful or how harmful but they are being used currently in an unregulated manor.

Image courtesy of WCBE

The EPA calls for all materials to be disclosed in the process of fracking but at the same time seems complacent in letting drilling continue even without having all of the information on what they are putting into PA groundwater. This could mean that millions are residents within the state are ingesting these potentially harmful substances. Many people don’t even know this is currently an issue, as it has almost zero media coverage.

The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an organization committed to safe drilling tactics, has stated that they are dedicated to fully open reporting of what and how they put in the ground when drilling. Using the Frac Focus registry to open “all” information to the public. But many question if this is really the case, and so do I.

Since this is my first post, I’m going to be jumping around a bit on topics surrounding natural gas fracking to get you a feel of what this industry is doing here in Pennsylvania. In the following weeks, I will narrow down my focus to the most important economic and environmental impacts of natural gas drilling. There might be weeks where I seem to have a positive bias toward it and there will also be weeks where I seem to have a negative bias. Energy production is something we must all look at with an open mind.

Near my home of Beaver, PA, one of the largest Cracker plant in the United States is being constructed. Cracker plants use Ethane from natural gas and refine it into a plastic product to be used in anything from food packaging to furniture. Peaking at over 6,000 created jobs, the construction has introduced a huge (and much needed) economic boost to the western PA area. The plant is expected to produce over 1.6 million metric tons of Polyethylene from the refined ethane and also produce over 250-megawatts of energy from an on-site natural gas power plant. This power plant will be utilized to power the entire facility along with introducing about one third of its output into the local power grid.

Image courtesy of Observer-Reporter

Though the economy is receiving these benefits, there are many residents up in arms about the construction process and the environmental implications the plant might have. 24/7 blasting detonations have become a huge burden to residents as the explosions are rocking homes even across the nearby Ohio River. Also, in the suburban community of Beaver County, traffic is almost at a standstill on the I-376 interchange 2 times a day at peak rush hour times which angers those commuting for work.

So as you can see, the industry has ingrained itself within the PA economy. But at the same time has sparked debate towards its environmental impact. I can’t wait to dive in-depth into natural gas fracking going forward to both educate and criticize how it is being carried out.

For more information on the undisclosed chemicals, check out this report where most of the data was found.