The Birds Nest

Hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”)1 is already beginning to change the nature of how we approach future energy needs. The processes of fracking also carry environmental risks. This paper is aimed at exploring the ethical, social, and legal issues related to “fracking’. In order to accomplish these tasks, it will 1st be necessary to describe the processes involved in fracking. The technical problems with fracking create a number of ethical, social, and legal problems related to the environment. Some of these issues include land clearing for digging the wells, the impact on freshwater aquifers, and the well bore. Once the well bore is created, around 1-5 million gallons of water is inserted into the shale along with proprietary fluids. It is

A process for retrieving natural gas from 7,000 feet below the earth’s surface has caused environmental concerns. Hydrofracking has been around since the 40’s but wasn’t until the 90’s where technology allowed for a vertical drill to drill horizontally into shall deep below the surface creating several bores and accessing hundreds of acres of shale. Hydrofarcking comes with its controversy, some argue that it is contaminating water sources and creating environmental concerns, while others say there is no proof of this despite many studies.

The well tested in this project is located in the city of Brighton in Weld County, CO. Well SHABLE AB11-04P which is operated by Halliburton is one of the many wells in the Wattenberg field. Wattenberg field is a low permeability (“tight”) basin center gas field (Highley 12).Based from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 1999, the Wattenberg field has approximately produced 1.75 TCFG, 76.4 MMBO, and 15.7 MMBW from all of the formation above. The primary source of hydrocarbon production in the Wattenberg field comes from the Muddy (“J”) Sandstone formation which currently has 1,900 producing wells. The Wattenberg formation also has a potential biogenic gas reserves for coalbed methane (CBM) production at the Laramie formation

Few issues have recently gotten as much attention as the energy extraction activities involving a controversial procedure called "fracking." As reports of drinking water becoming tainted with fracking fluid flood the news, both oil and gas companies as well as environmental groups are presenting competing "facts" about the effects of drilling on ground water.

‘[Watts] revealed a few inconvenient facts. A 1976 study by the Colorado Division of Water found that this area was plagued with gas in the water problems back then. And it was naturally occurring. As the report stated there was “troublesome amounts of methane” in the water decades before fracking began. It seems that in geographical areas gas has always been in the water’ (Watts,

These environmental and social harms develop because the oil and gas industries and the Native nations' governments externalize costs of environmental and social protections onto the public in order to reap the benefits of saved costs” all the harm to our water is real and only we the consumers can stop it..The U.S is a high user of fracking methods as it is the cheaper version to achieve natural gas . According to Shale gas and fracking: The Science Behind the Controversy, that number almost doubled to 510,000, by 2010. Each year about 13,000 new wells are drilled near safe drinking water and a study released in 2011 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency that some drinking water that comes up from shallow wells near hydrofracking drilling sites in Pennsylvania had about 17 times as methane as those far away from drilling. Imagine the danger that this water can cause to people, one always thinks that natural water is good for use and that the government will not let companies contaminate our limited water

The Edwards-Trinity Aquifer is one of Texas’ major aquifers, located in west central Texas and spanning near 42,000 square miles as shown in figure 1 (Barker and Ardis 1996, 2). The aquifer encompasses 36 counties including major counties such as Crockett, Edwards and Val Verde as shown in figure 2 (Hopkins 1995, 2). The population is relatively sparse, with most of the population located in small cities Anaya 2001, 100). It is divided into four subareas based on the topography of each area, Edwards plateau, Trans-Pecos, Hill Country and Balcones fault zone (Barker and Ardis 1996, 5). Edwards plateau has two types of terrain, the interior of the plateau is fairly flat with a gradual slope, and the outer portions are more rugged with canyons

The practice of Hydraulic fracturing, or releasing a mixture of water, sand, and various chemicals into wells dug beneath the earth to unlock its natural gas has become a very controversial issue (Earthworks ). For some, the practice means new forms of energy in the U.S. and thousands of new jobs. While others have pointed to the connections between the release of chemicals into the environment and the contamination of water supplies. Other studies have linked this new technology to air pollutants and an increase in earthquakes due to disturbances in the earth’s shell. All of these issues and concerns point to a need for further regulations to diminish these negative effects on the environment.

The way of drilling through the earth’s surface and water using hydraulics, high-pressure system, and chemicals to obtain natural gasses and oil is a heated debate. North Carolina citizens are against this type of energy because it does have many risks involved not only to the environment, but to the wildlife, and the citizens in the surrounding area as well. With the drilling has the potential to spills harmful wastewater and can pollute rivers and lakes which North Carolinians take pride in. The methane gas stirred loose during the drilling process can end up in tap water, causing it to ignite (Environment of N.C.,

In the United States, hydraulic fracturing, dubbed “Fracking”, has become more and more popular in recent years. The goal of fracking is drilling into the ground and extracting the oil and natural gas that lays beneath the earth. However, this has drawn a lot of controversy due to its negative impacts on the environment. One of the main concerns is during drilling, waste water that is produced can potentially go into nearby sources of drinking water. It has also been observed that earthquakes have happened near areas where fracking occurs. The opposition argues that the process does not lead to contamination because the drilling happens well below freshwater sources while the

An aquifer is a permeable rock underground that bears water, this water can be collected through wells for people to use and drink. Within Texas there are 23 different aquifers, but for Central Texas we tend to favor Edwards Aquifer and due to this many problems have arisen for the aquifer and its inhabitants. We will first discuss the history of Edwards Aquifer, the reasons behind the current issue concerning the aquifer including what species are endangered and why, and lastly what solutions are being set forth.

Dallas-Fort Worth Texas has one of the largest potential shale extraction sights, called the Barnett Shale. This area also has one of the highest urban population growth rates in the U.S. which has led to massive concern over the use of fracking to reach the shale gas. In 2011 a survey of Dallas-Fort Worth residents found that nearly one-third of the population ranked gas drilling to be the greatest hazard to the water supply. This concern comes from the use of chemicals in the fluid used to cause the fractures as well as the methane that can be released when shale is fractured. Contamination can occur from fluid when it escapes from leaks in the pipe or fittings. Several states including Ohio and Arkansas have changed their standards for well construction to help prevent these leaks. While methane with not affect the quality of water it is explosive when contained in tight spots. Due to this well heads need to be properly vented so that the methane can be released (Jackson,

Shale gas is a remarkable deposit of natural gas that is largely untapped because of the difficulty in obtaining it. Advanced petroleum extraction technics has made this untapped natural gas more lucrative. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is the advanced technic of extracting gas from shale rock formation. The environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing have surpassed the endurance afforded it. This paper discusses the impact of fracking, the challenges of wastewater management, with a focus on the legal and regulatory hurdles associated with the practice of underground injection of wastewater, and ways in which the government through policies can curb the concerns.

Studies, conducted in the Midwestern United States, have shown an increased amount to earthquake activity surrounding drilling locations. From 1970 to 200, the region experienced approximately 20 quakes per year; it experienced 29 between 2001 and 2008 with an exponential increase from 2009 to 2011 (Ehrenberg 22). The problems do not seem to be associated with the drilling itself, but with the waste water disposal re-injected back into sandstone below the Earth’s surface. The waste water acts as a lubricate between fault lines causing movement resulting in the shift of bedrock formations. Both advocates and opponents acknowledge the possibility for earthquake damage, however fracking proponents believe the risk is validated by the associated economic

Drilling, blasting and loading operations at the sublevel open stoping system in an underground mine along with open pit expansion are often associated with water