Emissions rule passes environmental quality board
Friday, December 27, 2019
A rule aimed at reducing methane emissions from Pennsylvania’s existing oil and gas operations recently passed the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board by a vote of 18-1, according to Trib Live.
The rule was originally announced by the state Department of Environmental Protection in December 2018. Its aim is to reduce methane leaks from oil and gas wells and improve leak detection in the state. It will also impose stronger limits on pollutants known as volatile organic compounds.
Pennsylvania is the U.S.’s second-largest natural gas producer. It contains an estimated 80,000 conventional oil and gas wells and about 10,651 active unconventional gas wells, according to DEP records.
Learn more: Trib Live > Proposed methane emissions rule passes Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board
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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.