http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halliburton
So what the F#@&* is Fracking? Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside.
One to six million gallons of water are needed to frack a typical gas well. Of that, up to two percent consists of chemicals to facilitate production, many of them toxic, and the fluid picks up even more pollutants down amid the shale, such as salt brines and naturally occurring radioactive materials.
http://www.milfordmirror.com/5073/the-precautionary-principle-side-effects-of-fracking/
Did you know that fracking:
- contaminates ground water
- injects dangerous levels of fracking fluid which leads to aquifer contamination
- during periods of low stream flow it may affect water supplies for municipalities and industries such as power generation, as well as recreation and aquatic life
- risks air quality
- instigates the migration of gases and hydraulic fracturing chemicals to the surface
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_hydraulic_fracturing
161 incidences from 2008-2012 where drinking water was contaminated from
fracking. Other health concerns associated with fracking are eye
irritation, headaches, asthma and even cancer. A major concern is the
presence of endocrine disruptors in fracking emissions, which can lead
to infertility and gynecological disorders.http://times-news.com/local/x134979311/Side-effects-of-fracking-pose-environmental-concerns
Hydraulic Fracturing (also known as hydrofracking)
In each fracking, 2-9 million gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals are forced through the well into the formation at high pressure to fracture, or crack, the shale. Roughly half the fracking fluid remains in the ground. The rest of it (1,000,000 to 4,000,000 gallons) comes up out of the well and is considered industrial waste and must be disposed of. Each well may be fracked up to ten times during its productive life. (2)
Fracking Fluids
Most of the recent advances in fluid technology for shale gas recovery are owned by Halliburton. The gas industry describes fracking fluids as being “like soap and oil.” However, because Halliburton classifies the fracking fluids as proprietary, nobody knows for sure what is in them. Samples from well blowouts and fluids pits in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico found fluids to contain diesel fuel and more than 200 different kinds of chemicals, over 95% of which have adverse side effects including brain damage, birth defects and cancer. (4)
Fluids Disposal
The produced water from the Marcellus Shale is toxic waste. In addition to the added chemicals, the water picks up hydrocarbons, heavy metals like arsenic, and radioactivity from the shale. (5) Billions of gallons of waste water will be produced in our area alone and will need to be trucked to a final disposal site. The most common method of disposal will be Deep Well Injection Disposal, where the waste is forced underground at high pressure into dry gas wells. (6)
Air Pollution
Each well site emits air pollution. In addition to pollution from diesel generators, drill rigs, trucks and other equipment, condensate tanks and the flaring of wells are significant sources of VOC’s and nitrogen oxide, which react with sunlight to form ozone. Proposed Marcellus Shale drilling in New York will be high density. In high-density drilling areas in Colorado and Wyoming, rural communities that were once pristine now have ozone levels higher than Los Angeles. Ozone can cause a range of respiratory health problems and lung disease.(9)
http://shaleshock.org/drilling-101/
Oklahoma Earthquakes
Seismic activity in Oklahoma since 1973. Red dots show earthquakes
between 1973 and 2008, while blue dots show earthquakes 2008-2011. The
star indicates the 5.6 earthquake in Prague.
via OGS
Some geologists have argued that the largest earthquake in Oklahoma's
recorded history, the 5.6 magnitude quake that hit Prague, Okla., in
2011, was the result of wastewater injection from oil and natural gas operations. in 2011, a USGS study determined several minor earthquakes in Oklahoma to be the likely result of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), which uses pressurized fluid injection to create small underground fractures to release oil or gas.
The greater problem, though, isn't the fracking itself, but the wastewater it generates. According to Mother Jones, the oil and natural gas industry generates 878 billion gallons of wastewater every year, injecting about a third of it back into the earth. Injecting all this fluid into the ground can elevate the pressure near faults, causing them to slip, resulting in quakes. Deep mining can also cause moderate earthquakes, according to the USGS.
The greater problem, though, isn't the fracking itself, but the wastewater it generates. According to Mother Jones, the oil and natural gas industry generates 878 billion gallons of wastewater every year, injecting about a third of it back into the earth. Injecting all this fluid into the ground can elevate the pressure near faults, causing them to slip, resulting in quakes. Deep mining can also cause moderate earthquakes, according to the USGS.
http://www.popsci.com/article/science/more-200-earthquakes-have-shaken-oklahoma-2009
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