I am a geologist and independent gas producer. My projects are all in reservoirs that do not require fracing so I am not personally affected by fracing. Your diagram and description of fracing are inaccurate and misleading. the illustration was clearly taken from an antifracing source. It shows natural fractures leading all the way to the surface in random directions, which rarely happens, the scale represents an extremely shallow reservoir that would be in the middle of aquifers. A more representative diagram would show a horizontal leg at 5-10,000 ft and a water table at several hundred feet.
Your lead off picture of gas igniting was researched and determined to be a water well drilled through shallow coal bed methane layers, not related to drilling.
A honest debate can happen with accurate information. As is, inaccuracies and exaggerated or simplified statements and illustrations are justified by the end result. Doesn't that sound just like what "everybody" in the industry is being accused of?
On the subject of Fox, in my opinion only, he is just grandstanding to promote his documentaries.
Residents living nearby hydro-fracking operations were able to ignite their tapwater in "Gasland." (Credit: Gasland)
Josh Fox, a filmmaker who called attention to the environmental consequences of hydraulic fracturing, or “hydro-fracking,” was arrested in Washington today for attempting to cover a public House Science Committee hearing that was closed to cameras.
Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) held the hearing to scrutinize a Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) draft report on groundwater contamination near Pavillion, Wyoming. The hearing was broadcasted via the committee’s Web site, and Fox (along with ABC News) was denied media credentials at Harris’s discretion.
Fox, who is known for the HBO documentary “Gasland,” did not accept being “denied first amendment rights,” and was eventually led off by the Capitol Police in handcuffs after refusing to leave the chamber. Democrats seized on the opportunity to make political hay out of the incident.
Democratic Representative Brad Miller asked for a vote on whether the cameras could stay, but Harris and his caucus prevailed. Fox is filming a sequel to Gasland - draw your own conclusions about today’s arrest.
Fox is out of police custody, and after giving a brief statement decrying Congress’s alleged lack of transparency and attacks on the EPA, has hit the cable news talking heads circuit. He is appearing on the Ed Schultz show this evening.
New York Democratic Congressman Maurice Hinchey released a statement saying, “It is beyond unacceptable that acclaimed documentary director Josh Fox was arrested for trying to film a public hearing on groundwater contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing in Pavilion, Wyoming. This was a public hearing, there was plenty of room for cameras, and a credentialed camera crew was told they would be denied access because they were working for a documentary filmmaker. This is blatant censorship and a shameful stain on this Congress. I stand by Josh’s right to record this hearing. His arrest was a huge mistake.”
How hydro-fracking works. (image: journeyoftheforsaken.com)
Hydro-fracking is a controversial technique that’s used to extract natural gas from shale. A borehole is dug deep into the ground to inject a proprietary chemical mix that breaks up and opens channels in rock formations. Gas is then expelled from the rock and collected for distribution. Its environmental safety is questionable.
The EPA’s investigation uncovered chemicals that are used to mine natural gas in Pavillon’s groundwater. Here’s some details on its findings, which mirror a peer-reviewed study published by Duke University. Duke’s study uncovered tainted drinking water around nature gas extraction sites in the Northeastern United States. Duke also accused the energy industry of concealing its contamination data.
Energy companies have admitted to pumping diesel fuel into the ground during the Bush administration’s era of regulatory neglect. Despite this admission and the findings of scientists, industry backers have criticized the EPA’s Wyoming report, and still maintain that Gasland was factually incorrect.
Debate about hydro-fracking is heating up as state and federal lawmakers are seeking to increase domestic energy production. By some accounts, an abundance of cheap natural gas in the U.S. could even hinder the development of renewable energy.
What do you think? Was Fox making a stand for the environment and EPA science or simply snaring the media’s spotlight to promote his documentary?
Related on SmartPlanet:
- There’s no fracking way polluters won’t be bad actors
- Hydro-frackers to EPA: We used diesel - tough
- Controversial mining practice may return to the Empire state
- Scientist: gas industry is withholding hydro-fracking contamination data
- Marcellus shale fail - estimates of natural gas reserves were overstated
- Hydro-frackers to EPA - ‘tough, we used diesel’
