PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Pennsylvania's top environmental official said on Friday that a natural gas drilling boom would inevitably result in some environmental damage including possible contamination of water supplies.
Responding to concerns that drilling in some areas has caused toxic chemicals to pollute drinking water, John Hanger said the value of the gas underlying Pennsylvania and parts of surrounding states outweighed damage drilling may cause.
"You can't do a large amount of drilling and have zero impact," Hanger, acting secretary of the state's Department of Environmental Protection, told Reuters. "There's going to be a lot of good that comes from drilling in Pennsylvania, but there are also going to be some problems."
Hanger said he could not confirm or deny reports that water in the northeast Pennsylvania township of Dimock -- where many producing wells are located -- is being contaminated by chemicals from a process called hydrofracturing, or "fracking," in which chemicals are forced deep into the rock mixed with water and sand.
He acknowledged that some of the chemicals could be dangerous to human health but said that risk has to be weighed against the benefits that will come from the exploitation of what he called the "enormous" gas reserves contained in the Marcellus Shale.
(In other words, it's worth risking people's lives to cancer, leukemia, brain lesions, hair loss, projectile vomiting, and our environment to permanently polluted radioactive water, infiltrated aquifers, air degraded by toxic emissions from the massive amounts of diesel fuel burned in order to recover maybe 10-15 years of clean burning natural gas... IS IT REALLY?)
"Some of these chemicals are things you couldn't drink. There's no doubt about that," he said. "We have processes that go on in our lives all the time that involve these chemicals, and we run a certain amount of risk because of the benefits."
He pledged that officials would respond diligently to any complaints about polluted water resulting from the drilling. "We are absolutely focused on protecting our water," he said.
Energy companies such as Cabot Oil and Gas, which operates in the Dimock area, say the chemicals used in fracking fluid are heavily diluted and pose no threat to health. They also say the fluid is injected a mile or more underground, thousands of feet below the level of drinking water aquifers.
(Apparently energy companies will say anything...)
Residents in Dimock say their water has caused sickness and at times has become discolored and foul-smelling since drilling started.
Responding to concerns about gas drilling, DEP officials on Friday published a list of fracking chemicals on the agency's website for the first time, under the heading "Summary of Hydraulic Fracture Solutions." (http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/minres/oilgas/new_forms/marcellus/marcellus.htm)
Hanger said the Marcellus reserve contains at least 350 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, or enough to supply the entire U.S. demand for 10 to 15 years without relying on the output of any other state, Canada or Mexico.
He predicted development of the field, which is in a very early stage, would bring billions of dollars to the state and create tens of thousands of jobs. Natural gas would also benefit the environment, he [said] because [it] is cleaner burning than oil or coal."
(Editing by Daniel Trotta)
(Editorializing by SPLASHDOWN)
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This is absolute nonsense. If Mr. Hanger is the TOP environmental officer of PA, we are in big trouble.
ReplyDeleteThis reasoning reminds me of Sec'y of State Madelaine Albright when she said of the deaths of half a million Iraqi children being killed:
"It’s a hard choice, but I think, we, think, it’s worth it."
Her response to a May 11, 1996 60 Minutes question about the over half a million children killed by the [Iraqi] sanctions.
It's called collateral damage, and to the gas industry, human beings and the environment are collateral damage. We don't matter. But it is far more disturbing to hear this from the state's top environmental office. With friends like Mr. Hanger, who needs enemies?
Y'all are jest a passel of pesky collateral damage. Now step aside and let the polluting begin.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that there are approx. 88,000 lbs of chemicals in a frack that requires 2 million galons of water? Per OGAP
ReplyDeleteI have read today that, according to the CEO of Chesapeake Energy, his goal is to look to the international market to get the best price for his natural gas. He says he can get twice as much money from foreign countries and will sell there. He is looking right now for ways to transport gas overseas. Also it looks like our own natural gas will not be cheaper here in the US. We will have to pay the international going rate. So this business of becoming less dependent on foreign oil by drilling in the shale areas is bogus.
ReplyDelete