Fracking - Rochester, NY area
RochesterEnvironment.com
The prospect of Fracking or hydrofracking could have an enormous impact on the Rochester, NY region.
"Hydraulic fracturing is the propagation of fractures in a rock layer caused by the presence of a pressurized fluid. Hydraulic fractures may form naturally, as in the case of veins or dikes, or may be man-made in order to release petroleum, natural gas, coal seam gas, or other substances for extraction, where the technique is often called fracking[a] or hydrofracking.[1] This type of fracturing, known colloquially as a frack job (or frac job),[2][3] is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations. The energy from the injection of a highly-pressurized fracking fluid, creates new channels in the rock which can increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of fossil fuels. The fracture width is typically maintained after the injection by introducing a proppant into the injected fluid. Proppant is a material, such as grains of sand, ceramic, or other particulates, that prevent the fractures from closing when the injection is stopped. " Hydraulic fracturing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Page Contents: Fracking NewsLinks | Fracking Discussions |
Climate Change will strain NYS’s water even if we don’t Frack
New York State has a lot of fresh
water and,
according to the New York State
Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), we are
going to weather
Climate Change.
The West and the South of the United States are not going to fare so well. So you might think that piling on hydrofracking (or Fracking), which will require a lot of our fresh water for drilling, to the stresses that will be caused by Climate Change wouldn’t matter much. more...
SEARCH: Use search engine below to find anything posted since 1998.
Fracking Discussions
Discussions on Fracking issues concerning the Rochester, NY area. Click on the article and join in one of the discussions below at my blog Environmental Thoughts.
- Congress Moves Toward Tougher Stand on Pipeline Safety, But is it Enough? - ProPublica A bill to strengthen pipeline safety regulations passed the House and Senate last week and now awaits President Obama’s signature. But while many applaud Congress’s move toward more oversight, others question whether the impending law goes far enough to prevent oil and natural gas pipeline accidents. The pipeline industry reports more than 100 significant hazardous liquid spills each year [1]. (See a map of those spills [2]). Every year, an average of 275 accidents kill 10 to 15 people and injure five to six times as many. (December 21, 2011) [more on Energy in our area]
- Why add more methane (GHG) leaks from Fracking when our existing gas system is a clunker? This article by NPR begs an interesting question given that New York State is about to end the moratorium on Fracking: How much gas (methane) is normally leaked into our atmosphere via the existing system of gas pipes in our state, or our country for that matter? Boston's Leaky Gas Lines May Be Tough On The Trees : NPR A scientist in Boston has been driving around the city measuring leaks in the gas mains. He's found a lot, and he wants the public to know where they are. Gas leaks aren't uncommon, and gas companies spend a lot of time tracking them down and repairing them. But the scientific team says they're surprised at how many they've found, and what those leaks are doing to the health of the city's trees. (November 21, 2011) NPR : National Public Radio So, I asked myself, what is the present state of natural gas leaking greenhouse gases (GHG) including the methane gas (CH4), one of the most potent GHG from our existing gas system? It could be quite a significant contributor to Climate Change, even without hydrofracking. more...
- Fracking, EPA study, NYS moratorium on Fracking and connecting the dots The media is abuzz over the recent EPA study (Investigation of Ground Water Contamination near Pavillion, Wyoming) as to whether contamination in Wyoming lake water is due to a nearby hydrofracking operation. The timing for this study probably couldn’t be worse for the gas industry, as we New Yorker’s near the deadline for a decision on whether to allow horizontal natural gas drilling, hydrofracking, in our state. After January 11th 2012 it will be all over but the shouting—and there will be a lot of shouting. more...
- Wait! Before you let NYS start Fracking, this is already on our plate: Soon, on December 12, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will close public comments on the Revised Draft SGEIS on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program (September 2011. It’s the draft (where you can make public comment) on whether or not to lift the moratorium on hydrofracking in our state. Before we here in New York State allow the rush for gas companies to prime the pumps for Fracking, you really ought to read this: Report 11-18 Response to Climate Change in New York State (ClimAID). more...
Climate
Change will strain NYS’s water even if we don’t Frack - Rochester
Environmental News | Examiner.com New York State has a lot of
fresh waterand,
according to the New York State
Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), we are
going to weather
Climate Change. The West and the South of the United States are
not going to fare so well. So you might think that piling on
hydrofracking (or Fracking), which will require a lot of our fresh
water for drilling, to the stresses that will be caused by Climate
Change wouldn’t matter much. And that is actually the conclusion of
the
Report 11-18 Response to Climate Change in New York State (ClimAID)report
that NYSERDA funded and completed last month. This report is a very
comprehensive look at Climate Change in New York State. What the
report suggests is that “As much as 7 million gallons of water may
be required to hydraulically fracture a well.” (Page 94, ClimAid)
“Increased consumption due to natural gas drilling in deep shales”
will be “low.” (Page 444, ClimAid). The report also states that we
should feel assured about our fresh water because “The commissions
already have guidelines for determining acceptable withdrawals
during low-flow periods, and other possible guidelines have recently
been proposed in the generic environmental impact statement related
to shale gas drilling in New York State.” (Page 100, ClimAid)
Continue reading on Examiner.com
Climate Change will strain NYS’s water even if we don’t Frack -
Rochester Environmental News | Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-rochester/climate-change-will-strain-nys-s-water-even-if-we-don-t-frack#ixzz1mjyXp2jM
Documents that include Fracking as they relate to Climate Change
How we get our energy is one of the most important factors in Climate Change in our region. Using fossil fuels--gas, oil, coal, even biomass--creates even more greenhouse gas and warms our atmosphere. Read these reports and studies that link how we use energy to Climate Change:
- Report 11-18 Response to Climate Change in New York State (ClimAID) Responding to Climate Change in New York state: the ClimAid integrated assessment for effective Climate Change adaptation in New York state (November 2011)
- Don’t miss this great article on Fracking by Bill McKibben. Bill really gets at the heart of why it would be so disastrous to Frack in NYS, or any other place for that matter. Few are able to articulate the real danger our addiction to fossil fuel represents for mankind at this point in time. We keep searching for that cheap energy source to fuel a way of life that is chewing up our environment—as if we haven’t learned a thing about our environment in the past one hundred years. Check out this important article and spread it far and wide. Why Not Frack? by Bill McKibben | The New York Review of Books "As the International Energy Agency reported last summer, the numbers are significant: their projections for a “Golden Age of Gas” scenario have atmospheric concentrations of CO2 peaking at 650 parts per million and temperature rising 3.5 degrees Celsius, far higher than all the experts believe is safe. In September, the National Center for Atmospheric Research tried to combine all the known data—everything from methane leakage in coal mines to the cooling effects of coal-fired sulfur pollution—and concluded, in the words of the scientist Tom Wigley, that the switch to natural gas “would do little to help solve the climate problem.” " Table of Contents - March 8, 2012 | The New York Review of Books
Fracking Information for the Rochester, NY area
Our region will be greatly influenced by Fracking and there are websites that offer information sources for them.
- NYS DEC on all things related to Frackiing: SGEIS on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Well Permit Issuance for Horizontal Drilling and High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing to Develop the Marcellus Shale and Other Low-Permeability Gas Reservoirs The Department of Environmental Conservation regulates the development and production of oil and gas resources in New York State. The development of a potentially significant gas resource in the Marcellus Shale uses horizontal drilling and a high-volume hydraulic fracturing technique known as "slick water fracturing." This technique requires large volumes of water and requires further review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act ("SEQRA") before any well permits can be issued.
- Welcome to R-Cause: Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale-gas Extraction - ABOUT R-CAUSE "Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale-gas Extraction R-CAUSE was created by Rochester citizens who treasure New York State and want its waters, land and air to remain clean and its communities to remain viable. R-CAUSE's goal is to inform as many people in the Rochester area as possible about the risks associated with high-volume, slick-water, horizontal hydraulic fracturing. "
- Find out how that Fracking is working for our friends in Pennsylvania. Track the number of operators, active wells, violations, and fines. Those poor people. Shale Play: Natural Gas Drilling in Pennsylvania | NPR StateImpact: Issues That Matter. Close To Home. "The Marcellus Shale has been underneath Pennsylvania for centuries, but the extraction of natural gas began only recently. The gas boom is changing the landscape of northeastern and southwestern Pennsylvania. Use this tool to learn which operators are drilling, and where. Find gas-producing wells in your county or municipality — and see whether the drillers have been cited for violating state environmental regulations. Read more about the data. " from NPR StateImpact: Issues That Matter. Close To Home.
- Drill Bits: Revisiting the Hydro-Fracking Debate - GrowWNY Originally published in July of 2011, we are republishing this introductory article to offer information for Western New Yorkers wishing to get involved with hydro-fracking issues. To find out more about what is going on today, read this article by Sierra Club member Art Klein and visit the webpages for Western New York environmental organizations that are involved with this issue. --from GrowWNY
Fracking as a local energy issue
It is possible, because the Rochester region lies within the Utica Shale, that hydrofracking, or Fracking, could become a grave environmental issue in our region. Here are the main sources in our region to stay abreast of this on-going issue:
- Fracking - ProPublica "Gas Drilling's Environmental Threat "
- Drilling for Natural Gas in the Marcellus Gas Shale: Everything you wanted to know: pressconnects.com | Binghamton Marcellus Shale | Press & Sun-Bulletin
Groups Against Fracking
Some groups are against Fracking in NYS.;
- R-Cause: Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale-gas Extraction “R-CAUSE was created by Rochester citizens who treasure New York State and want its waters, land and air to remain clean and its communities to remain viable. R-CAUSE's goal is to inform as many people in the Rochester area as possible about the risks associated with high-volume, slick-water, horizontal hydraulic fracturing.”
- NYRAD "New York Residents Against Drilling (NYRAD) is a grassroots network of local residents who are opposed to unconventional gas development in New York State. High volume hydraulic fracturing threatens our land, air, and water, jeopardizing the economic and physical health of our communities. Thousands of wells, many miles of pipelines, and large noisy compressor stations could turn our rural communities into giant industrial zones. Therefore, we are joining together to: educate ourselves and our neighbors about the long-term negative economic, environmental, health, and community impacts of gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing; advocate for legislation to safeguard our communities from these threats; encourage the development of alternative, green, sustainable energy sources; We believe that all people have a right to clean air and pure water, and that it is our duty to preserve and protect the natural, scenic, historic, and commercial assets of this beautiful state we live in, for ourselves and future generations. "
- Frack Free Genesee "A coalition to protect the western finger lakes and genesee valley "