More details surface about Falcon pipeline investigation
Friday, May 7, 2021
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration releases more details about its investigation into issues with Shell’s Falcon pipeline, which travels through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, according to Farm and Dairy.
The administration stated that it looked at photos of two pieces of pipe, in a letter to FracTracker Alliance, but could not substantiate a whistleblower’s claims that the pipeline had been built with a defective corrosion coating.
The 98-mile Falcon pipeline was built to feed Shell’s Beaver County ethane cracker plant, which is still being built. The plant, expected to be operational sometime in 2022, will process ethane, a component of natural gas, into plastics.
Learn more: Farm and Dairy > More details about Falcon pipeline investigation emerge
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.