Fracking Infrastructure is Carving Up Pennsylvania
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Published by Food and Water Watch
Absurdly, proponents of shale gas development argue that pipelines can benefit landowners by providing new recreation areas and better habitat for wildlife.
Absurdly, proponents of shale gas development argue that pipelines can benefit landowners by providing new recreation areas and better habitat for wildlife.
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Fracking Infrastructure is Carving Up Pennsylvania
WATER
T
he Marcellus Shale lies beneah much of he Allegheny Plaeau, which boass he larges unbroken expanse of fores in Pennsylvania.
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Drilling and fracking for shale gas in he Marcellus region is fragmening he sae’s foress wih each new road, well sie and pipeline. Absurdly, proponens of shale gas developmen argue ha pipelines can benefi landowners by providing new recreaion areas and beter habia for wildlife. These argumens would be laughable if hey weren’ so emblemaic of he oil and gas indusry’s insidious greenwashing effors.
Pipelines Threaten Wildlife
In he Marcellus region o Pennsylvania, over 7,000 wells have been drilled, wih muliple wells someimes drilled rom he same sie, called a well pad.
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A ypical well pad uses around 2.5 acres o land, bu pads can range up o nearly 50 acres.
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Around hal o all well pads in Pennsylvania are in oresed lands.
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Abou a quarer o hem were buil by leveling core ores, which is ores ha is more han 300 ee rom a road or oher clearings ha orm a ores edge.
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In hese oresed areas o he Marcellus, each well pad consumes an average o 30 acres o core ores, including ores cleared or he well pad isel, ores cleared or pipelines and roads, and loss o core ores due o creaion o new ores edges.
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As drilling and racking or shale gas coninue, an esimaed 60,000 miles o new pipelines could be consruced in Penn-sylvania alone o connec new well pads o cusomers.
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Depending on he size o he pipeline, consrucion requires a coninuous cleared pah 30 o 200 ee wide.
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These clearings cu hrough essenial core ores habias, creaing migraion barriers or small animals and amphibians, opening up he land o invasive species and indusrial polluion, and damag-ing waer qualiy.
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Consrucion o pipelines and well pads can damage small sreams or springs ha, while osensibly proeced by law, are easily overlooked.
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Clearing rees and bushes o consruc pipelines ha cross sreams can increase he waer’s em-peraure, making i oo warm or ish o orage or raise heir young.
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Sormwaer runoff during pipeline consrucion, as well as he ineviable leaks and spills o conaminans rom well pads, can reduce populaions o ish and oher aquaic species in he area and downsream.
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Risks o surace waer are widespread in he Marcellus shale region, where linear projecs like a naural gas pipeline have o cross a sream around every 2,000 ee, compounding he risks o reshwaer sources and wildlie.
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While consrucion phases or a well pad or pipeline are em-porary, heir effecs are no. Legal agreemens beween land-owners and pipeline companies require ha landowners keep he area clear, meaning ha oress remain ragmened.
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No only does his resul in less ores cover or wildlie habia, bu i also resuls in worse habia: more ragmenaion means ha more ores is close o an edge, where many species are more vulnerable.
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