Trump plans to open Alaska wildlife refuge to drilling
Friday, June 2, 2017
President Donald Trump’s plan to balance the federal budget includes opening the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, according to the Associated Press.
Covering about 30,000 square miles in Alaska’s northeast corner, the refuge was created by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960. In 1980, Congress decided the coastal plain, stretching from the Beaufort Sea to Brooks Range, should be studied. The refuge could be opened to drilling by another act of Congress and presidential approval.
The coastal plain holds an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of oil, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Learn more: U.S. News & World Report > Trump Budget Arctic Refuse Q&A
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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.