Utica Shale Academy considers adding additional locations
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Columbiana County’s Utica Shale Academy in Salineville is looking to expand after opening in Aug. 2014.
Columbus Business First reports that the charter school’s director, Eric Sampson, is looking at nearby counties in the midst of the shale boom for additional schools, even though the recent decline in oil and natural gas prices is affecting drilling activity. Jefferson and Belmont Counties would be prime locations for other shale academies in eastern Ohio.
The school sends students to drill rigs and hosts presentations by oil and gas industry workers. The students prepare for a number of jobs in the oilfield.
Related: Utica Shale Academy prepares students for oil and gas industry
Related: Utica Shale Academy to train for shale boom jobs
Via: Columbus Business First > Utica Shale Academy wants to expand to more Ohio counties
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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.