Report suggests fracking boom didn’t deliver in Appalachia
Thursday, February 18, 2021
The fracking boom that forever changed the Appalachian Basin positively impacted the U.S. economy, but may have missed the mark for the local communities in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia where the natural gas was extracted, according to a recent report conducted by the Ohio River Valley Institute.
The report studied the economic impact fracking had on 22 natural gas-producing counties at the forefront of the Marcellus and Utica shale gas boom over the last decade. It found that many counties lost jobs and population while seeing small increases in personal income.
Many local officials and Ohio’s oil and gas industry are pushing back at the report’s findings, saying it cherry-picked data to fit a narrative and the author doesn’t understand the Ohio River Valley.
Learn more: Farm and Dairy > Report: Appalachian fracking boom didn’t deliver
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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.