Oil & Gas News
Hydraulic Fracturing (“Fracking”)
“Fracking” is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracking refers to the procedure of creating fractures in rocks and rock formations by injecting steam or fluid and sand into cracks to force the rocks open, and to allow the oil and gas to flow out. Vertical fracked wells have been drilled for decades but the new kid on the block is horizontal high-volume (aka “slick-water”) fracking developed around 2003.
Shale formations underlie much of the United States and Canada. The formations are a source of natural gas and oil. Historically the oil from the shale formations was too expensive to extract until technology was developed to drill horizontally. Now fracking can occur kilometres below the surface, for kilometres away from the vertical well shaft. A 6‑acre drilling pad can extract gas from beneath 1,000 acres of land (article.pdf).
Today there is a frenzy to develop North American oil reserves to compete on the global market. For example, in North Dakota’s Bakken shale formation, fracking started in 2006, and now nearly 8,000 active wells dot the landscape (video). In Colorado’s Weld County, there are more than 18,000 oil and gas wells. “With those wells has come health problems, air quality problems, water pollution problems (sinkholes, spills), water supply problems, illegal dam building, social problems (traffic, traffic2, hospital impact, transient people), real estate problems and financial problems (property value decrease, mortgages, gas company liens, homeowners insurance, landowners double-crossed, landowners cheated, road damage, land and soil contamination, land restriction, abandoned spent wells). No surprise, but this exploitative extractive industry tends to take the oil and gas — as well as all of the money — and leaves local governments and people with pollution and financial trouble in its wake.” Gary Wockner (article)
Regarding water use, a vertical fracked well uses approximately 250,000 US gallons (1 million litres) of water for the initial frack (wells are fracked multiple times to keep the oil and gas flowing). A horizontally fracked well requires approximately 5 million US gallons (19 million litres). Much of the water is left in the ground (30%?) too deep to be of use. The residual water is brought to the surface (flow-back & produced water), stored in tanks, underground wells and evaporation pits, often reused until it becomes highly toxic. The cumulative quantity of water used/polluted/taken out of circulation is significant. (study) (study)
Frack wastewater/production brine has been approved for use on roads in some of the U.S. states. (article) (article) (article)
Frack wastewater treated and turned into salt is being sold as swimming pool salt. (article)
However, frack wastewater dumping has generated resistance across Ohio, including direct actions disrupting wastewater disposal operations from Youngstown to Athens County. The waste is injected underground into more than 170 wells statewide, contaminating water and causing numerous earthquakes across Ohio (article) from Marietta to Ashtabula, most notably a 4.0 earthquake in Youngstown. Surface spills are commonplace across Ohio, including the recent dumping of at least 20,000 gallons of toxic and potentially radioactive fracking wastewater into a storm drain that empties into a tributary of the Mahoning River in Youngstown, Ohio. (article) The fracking wastewater can be both explosive and radioactive. (article)
Additionally, and becoming a greater problem every day, is disposal of the radioactive drill cuttings coming up from deep digs (below 3,000ft). Considered medium level radioactive if for instance Radium 226 levels are around 93 microrem (mrem) above background levels (and thus higher than 10 mrem acceptable at standard landfill sites), the Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (TENORM) can only be disposed of at limited designated facilities. Fines for improper disposal are minimal (if the dumper gets caught). (article)
Fracked wells are initially flared until steady product flow is achieved. Flaring adds to air pollution and occurs for an indeterminate amount of time. (article) (article) (article)
Keen companies have a tendency to over-estimate the production capacity of fracked wells. (article)
It is interesting to note that studies are showing that wells in the Bakken shale formation are becoming stripper wells (producing 10bbls or less per day) after 6 years on average (source). The wells may produce for decades as stripper wells but it is debatable whether they are cost beneficial. The average productive life of a Barnett Shale well is 7.5 years. “Though production per well isn’t much, nationwide these stripper wells are an important part of our domestic energy supply because there are hundreds of thousands of stripper wells producing oil and gas in the United States.” (article)
Abandoned oil and gas wells continue to pollute the air. (article)
Many companies that once operated the wells seek bankruptcy protection and can’t pay the cost of reclaiming the land. (article)
The boom in gas production is also having an impact on forests - Gas Pipeline Boom Fragmenting Pennsylvania’s Forests, Roadkill.
The bust/cyclical aspect of the business also comes with impacts – Pet Surrenders,
Proponents state that there are significant direct and indirect jobs created by the oil and gas industry. Opponents question the accounting behind such claims and ask whether the actual jobs created are worth the environmental damage and risk assumed by the extraction of fossil fuels. (article)
Proponents also claim that supporting the North American oil industry is morally and ethically better than supporting despotic regimes like Saudi Arabia. (Women’s rights, Oprah Winfrey & Emma Pullman)
In Canada mineral rights belong to the provinces which lease minerals to producers and receive royalties. In the U.S. there is a mixed system where surface owners can also own – have possessory rights that they can sell, bequest, and otherwise transfer – the mineral rights. (article)
Use of “frac” sand. (AO info)
Fracking and invasive species (article)
Fracking and wildlife (article)
The energy return on investment (EROI) of fracked oil and gas is poor and declining. (article) (article)
More than 150 municipalities in the USA have passed a ban or moratorium on gas drilling or fracking, according to FracTracker (USA), a website tracking the issue.
The bigger picture: (article)
Fracking vs. renewables: (article)
What You Need to Know About Fracking In Canada by David Minkow, DesmogCanada
Setbacks
In land use, setbacks are minimum distances which establish a buffer between a structure or extraction area and any other place which is deemed in need of protection such as a river or road.
What are the ideal setbacks for oil and gas wells? Any increase in setback would restrict where companies can drill so operators fight to keep the setbacks either non-existent or low.
|
Date yyyy-mm-dd |
Posted By |
Article Link |
Comment |
|
2018-11-06 |
Bizjournals.com (USA) |
Voters reject oil well setbacks as Colorado's Proposition 112 defeated |
Greg Avery |
|
2017-08-22 |
Insideenergy.org (USA) |
Leigh Paterson and Jordan Wirfs-Brock |
|
|
2007-06-01 |
Government of Ontario |
Ministry of Natural Resources – Lands & Waters Branch - Policy no. A.R. 5.00.07 |
Ontario, Canada
Currently there is no fracking in Ontario, but the Liberal government has made it plain that they are not opposed to development of oil and gas resources.
According to the Council of Canadians, in 2010 the Ministry of Natural Resources released an aerial survey of southwestern Ontario that maps out geological zones that lend themselves to oil and gas formations. In 2011, the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines published a study on areas of potential development for shale gas exploration.
On March 26, 2016, the then-provincial Liberal Minister of Natural Resources Bill Mauro told the Legislature “A legislative change would be required before we would consider moving forward with fracking in the province of Ontario.”
On May 17, 2017 the Ontario Liberal majority passed Bill 127 with its controversial Schedule 23 intact, opening the door to fracking in Ontario.
It appears that the required legislative change has now happened. (source)
Fracking News – General
|
yyyy-mm-dd |
Posted By |
Article Link |
Comment |
|
2019-10-18 |
EcoWatch / Davidson |
Fracking Study Shows Toxic Chemical Exposure 2,000 Feet From Drilling Sites |
Jordan Davidson |
|
2019-10-05 |
EcoWatch / The Revelator |
The Revelator |
|
|
2019-06-04 |
NPR.org |
$3 Million Settlement Revealed In High-Profile Fracking Case |
Reid Frazier |
|
2019-04-11 |
Comox Valley Record |
David Suzuki |
|
|
2019-04-02 |
Straight.com |
David Suzuki: As fracking booms, report finds we know little about impacts |
David Suzuki |
|
2019-02-11 |
PublicHerald.org |
Investigation: Clorox Selling Pool Salt Made From Fracking Wastewater |
Joshua B. Pribanic, Melissa A. Troutman |
|
2018-08-26 |
thefreethoughtproject.com |
Shocking Study Shows Fracking Is Depleting US Drinking Water Sources at a Catastrophic Rate |
John Vibes (study) |
|
2018-08-15 |
Science Advances |
Study: The intensification of the water footprint of hydraulic fracturing |
Andrew J. Kondash, Nancy E. Lauer, Avner Vengosh |
|
2018-02-09 |
Bloomberg |
David Wethe [sound alert: auto starts video] |
|
|
2017-12-27 |
TribLive.com |
Shale gas was going to make them rich. Then the checks arrived |
The Philadelphia Inquirer |
|
2017-11-14 |
Montreal Gazette |
Study: Benzene byproducts found in pregnant women near fracking sites |
Charlie Fidelman |
|
2017-11-02 |
Reuters.com |
Six years after tremors halted fracking, Britain ready to try again |
Susanna Twidale |
|
2017-09-21 |
TheGuardian.com |
Far away from any witnesses, my small town is being poisoned by fracking waste |
Alison Stine |
|
2017-08-22 |
InsideEnergy.org |
Leigh Paterson and Jordan Wirfs-Brock |
|
|
2017-08-06 |
Lancaster Online |
Ad Crable |
|
|
2017-07-11 |
EcoWatch / Oil Change Int’l |
Andy Rowell |
|
|
2017-06-26 |
EcoWatch / Oil Change Int’l |
Andy Rowell |
|
|
2017-06-12 |
Council of Canadians |
Council of Canadians condemns Wynne government giving green light to fracking in Ontario |
- fracking in Ontario |
|
2017-05-03 |
DesmogCanada |
A Dam Big Problem: Fracking Companies Build Dozens of Unauthorized Dams in B.C.'s Northeast |
Ben Parfitt |
|
2017-04-06 |
DesmogCanada |
David Minkow |
|
|
2017-03-02 |
Natural Resources Canada |
University of Alberta |
|
|
2016-10-31 |
EcoWatch / Lorraine Chow |
Lorraine Chow |
|
|
2016-03-29 |
Globe and Mail |
Study confirms link between fracking, earthquakes in Western Canada |
Mark Hume |
|
2015-12-14 |
University of Dayton (USA) |
Professor Blake Watson |
|
|
2015-05-11 |
Taylor & Francis Online |
Study: Extreme energy, ‘fracking’ and human rights: a new field for human rights impact assessments? |
Short,Elliot, NOrder, Lloyd-Davies, Morley |
|
2015-08-19 |
Guardian (UK) |
Adam Vaughan |
|
|
2014-12-08 |
Youtube / Earthworks |
Video: Hold Your Breath: fracking and clean air don't mix (5 mins) |
Protectourair.org
|
|
2014-12-07 |
Youtube / National Sierra Club |
Narrated by Edward James Olmos |
|
|
2014-07-23 |
Bay Today / Canadian Press |
|
|
|
2014-07-10 |
Concerned Health Professionals of NY |
|
|
|
2014 |
David Suzuki Foundation (Project) |
Broken Ground (www.brokenground.ca) |
|
|
2014-07-09 |
EcoWatch / Midwest Energy News |
USA Douglas J. Guth |
|
|
2014-02-20 |
Wells Journal |
|
|
|
2014-02 |
Alternatives Journal |
- map of Canada |
|
|
2014 |
Council of Canadian Academies |
Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada (.pdf) |
– report prepared for the Government of Canada in response to request by the Minister of Environment (2014) |
|
|
Marathon Oil Corp. |
Marthon Oil Corp. (7 mins) / Timelapse of drilling & fracking a well (2 mins) |
Industry viewpoint |
|
|
Chesapeake Energy |
Industry viewpoint |
|
|
2013-08-16 |
|
Fracknation: The Truth About Fracking (Video excerpts 14 mins 16-Aug-2013) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CBC Documentary |
|
|
|
|
David Suzuki Foundation |
|
|
|
|
David Suzuki Foundation |
|
|
|
|
|
Gas Drilling Awareness Coaltion: The Ethics of Fracking (37 mins) |
Non-industry viewpoint |
|
|
|
Non-industry viewpoint |
|
|
|
|
Non-industry/Land-owner viewpoint |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earth Focus (Britain’s study of USA operations) |
|
|
|
|
|
Matt Ridley |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
by Ernst Environmental Services (June 2013) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
– innovative visual website |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
“Stop Fracking Ontario” facebook page / Wordpress |
|
For more information:
AWARE-Ontario Oil & Gas Health and Safety
Return to AWARE-Ontario Oil & Gas News
Return to AWARE-Ontario.ca Home Page
List of Ontario’s Issues
Disclaimer: This information has been compiled through private amateur research for the purpose of allowing the reader to make an informed and educated decision. However, while the information is believed to be reliable, accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
APPENDICES
https://awareontario.nfshost.com/AWARE-Ontario/Issues/Oilgas_Other/News%20Oil_Gas%20Fracking.htm