Three different studies concerning drilling/hydraulic fracturing and the possible connection to water well contamination were released last month. The studies were conducted by the Department of Energy; Researchers from Ohio State University, Duke University and the University of Rochester; and the University of Texas at Arlington. According to the Times Record News of Wichita Falls,...
A ban on drilling in Denton, as is proposed on the city’s Nov. 4 ballot, will lead to economic damage, loss of property rights, and legal problems that could be very costly to Denton taxpayers.
First, let’s be clear: The Denton initiative has been portrayed as a ban only on hydraulic fracturing, but it’s actually a ban on drilling. Denton sits atop the Barnett Shale, and drillers there...
On Nov. 4, 2014, residents of Denton, Texas, will vote on a referendum to ban hydraulic fracturing within the city limits; however, make no mistake about it – a ban on hydraulic fracturing is a ban on all drilling. This is borne out by the numbers: Approximately 20,000 natural gas wells have been drilled in the Barnett Shale and every one has been hydraulically fractured.
When oil and...
Some residents in Denton, Texas – located in North Texas atop the Barnett Shale – have proposed a ban on hydraulic fracturing within the Denton city limits. Such a ban goes further than just hydraulic fracturing, it is actually a ban on drilling altogether. This is because Barnett Shale natural gas wells do not produce natural gas until they are hydraulically fractured (a well completion...
The United States is experiencing a boom in energy production, thanks to hydraulic fracturing. Practically every natural gas and oil well drilled in America is hydraulically fractured using a mixture that is 99.5 percent water and sand and .5 percent chemical additives. As hydraulic fracturing has...
Hydraulic fracturing fluid is made up of different components. Two intergovernmental agencies, the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, manage the website www.fracfocus.org, which provides information to the public about the fluids...
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), each year there are millions of earthquakes across the world; however, most are undetected due to being in remote areas or being low on the Richter scale (usually below 2.0).
In the past 20 years, the number of known earthquakes around the world has been on...
An important study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found no link between hydraulic fracturing and childhood cancer. The study was independently peer reviewed and the authors claimed no conflicts of interest.
The study sought to "evaluate...
In the last 65 years, the technology behind hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" has been improved to the point that it is used to complete virtually every oil and natural gas well in the United States. Without fracking, the U.S. would not be able to access its vast bounty of oil and natural gas contained in shale deposits.
Unfortunately, some environmental groups have alleged that...
This is a common question that is usually accompanied with the misconceived notion that hundreds of chemicals are used. As is often the case, a quick Google search on the topic produces a wide variety of answers, many of which are not factual.
One of the best answers to the question is found on Wikipedia, which says “A typical fracture treatment uses between 3 and 12 additive chemicals...
Shale development could ultimately be extremely beneficial for American manufacturing. In fact, America’s natural gas could save U.S. manufacturers a lot of money in different areas. Last year, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reported that our affordable, domestic natural gas could save billions of dollars each year for the next 10 years, as well as create...
In short, yes. The term “fracking,” which is (supposedly) shorthand for the well completion process of hydraulic fracturing, is actually correctly spelled “frac’ing.” Fracking has become the most used word to describe natural gas from shale deposits, such as the Barnett Shale. Google “fracking” and you get 10,200,000 links.
Unfortunately, the word fracking appears...
The Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin recently conducted a study entitled "Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas Development." Dr. Charles Groat, the lead author of the study, communicated the following study conclusion as part of the information release: "We found no direct evidence that hydraulic fracturing itself—the practice of fracturing the...
(information reported from an Energy Institute press release)
"Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to reports of groundwater contamination, based on evidence reviewed in a study released Thursday by the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin.
The study, released at the annual meeting of the American Association...
You may have read that February 1, 2012, marked the first day that oil and gas companies operating in Texas are required to publically post the contents of the fluid used in hydraulic fracturing. What you may not know is that many companies have been making voluntary disclosures for months, some on an informative website called FracFocus.org,...
- 1 of 3
- ››