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ORIGINAL: Moonhead

They don't do fracking over here, but it's news to me that there was any doubt that it contaminates groundwater. There's quite a bit in Schlosser's Fast Food Nation (obviously a partisan liberal tirade against wealth creators, bear in mind) about cattle ranchers and smallholders in the southwest who've had their land destroyed by fracking for gas nearby.

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ORIGINAL: Politesub53
I watch Gasland and I am unconvinced Fracking is safe. Lest we forget, it caused problems with earth tremours last time it was tried over here.

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ORIGINAL: Politesub53

I watch Gasland and I am unconvinced Fracking is safe. Lest we forget, it caused problems with earth tremours last time it was tried over here.

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ORIGINAL: tweakabelle

There is a lot of concern, particularly from Green and Agricultural lobbies*, about this practice which is widespread along the Eastern Seaboard here (and for all I know, the rest of the country too)

It even goes on in the middle of Sydney. Thus far the energy lobby has won the day but it wont be like that forever. Sooner or later the practice will be banned here.*

One unlikely positive side effect of fracking has been the creation of an alliance between green groups and farmers, previously mortal enemies, over this issue.

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If one of the things you love about Northeast Ohio is its unsurpassed imperviousness, you might be especially concerned about last Saturday’s Youngstown earthquake, the eleventh in the area since last spring. And probably even more concerned that since Saturday a Columbia University seismologist has come out to say that all eleven of these earthquakes were “almost certainly caused” by a Youngstown well used to dispose of wastewater from oil and gas drilling,

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A northeast Ohio well used to dispose of wastewater from oil and gas drilling almost certainly caused a series of 11 minor quakes in the Youngstown area since last spring, a seismologist investigating the quakes said Monday.

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The latest quake appears to have been located about two- thirds of a mile from the injection wells and about 1.2 miles below ground, he said.
This quake shows all the similarities of the 10 previous Youngstown quakes in 2011, he said.
Ohio also worked with scientists from Columbia University who had installed four seismographs near the site.
The first two Youngstown earthquakes occurred on March 17 and measured 2.1 and 2.6.
The state became suspicious of the injection wells after the initial quakes, which are unusual events in the Youngstown area, he said.

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In a release today, the state Department of Natural Resources announced the "new environmentally responsible standards for transporting and disposing of brine, a by-product of oil and natural gas hydraulic fracturing" because of the report's findings on the well in Youngstown.
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking involves freeing the gas by injecting water into the earth, but that water needs to be disposed of when companies are done with it. Municipal water treatment plants aren't designed to remove some of the contaminants found in the wastewater, including radioactive elements. A common practice is to re-inject it into the ground, a practice banned in some states.
The report's findings, the Ohio regulator said, show the earthquakes were based on "a number of coincidental circumstances," not just a direct link to the brine disposal. For one, investigators said, the well began operations just three months ahead of the first quake.
They also noted that the seismic activity was clustered around the well bore, and reported that a fault has since been identified in the Precambrian basement rock where water was being injected.
"Geologists believe it is very difficult for all conditions to be met to induce seismic events," the report states. "In fact, all the evidence indicates that properly located … injection wells will not cause earthquakes."
The improper placement of the Youngstown well stemmed in part from inadequate geological data being available to regulators, the report states. New rules would require a complete roll of geophysical logs to be submitted to the state.
"These logs were not available to inform regulators of the possible issues in geologic formations prior to well operation," the document says.
Requiring well operators to submit more comprehensive geologic data is just one of the added regulations the department will either impose immediately or pursue through legislative or rule changes.

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ORIGINAL: JeffBC

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ORIGINAL: Politesub53
I watch Gasland and I am unconvinced Fracking is safe. Lest we forget, it caused problems with earth tremours last time it was tried over here.

but... but.... the oil and gas companies have studied the question extensively and they assure us that it's safe to pad their wallets further.

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ORIGINAL: jlf1961

because the chemicals used get into ground water, and there is a tendency for methane gas to travel with the well water into homes, makes it a fun night when the water in your shower catches fire.