‘Legacy fluid’ off-loading facility OK’d on Ohio River, fracking waste not yet
Sunday, March 1, 2015
The U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers hasn’t yet decided which types of horizontal hydraulic fracturing wastes will be allowed to be handled at an off-loading facility in Meigs County on the Ohio River, if any.
The Athens News reports that Texas-based GreenHunter Resources Inc. received a permit from the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers Feb. 11 to construct a dock in Meigs County for offloading “legacy fluid” from traditional vertical oil and gas wells. GreenHunter Resources claimed that it had received the ok to barge oil and gas drilling waste up and down the Ohio River, but the Coast Guard denied that claim.
The permit that was issued to GreenHunter only allows the company to transport legacy fluids. GreenHunter would have to gain approval to offload shale gas extraction waste water at the facility. The Coast Guard has to approval transport of fracking waste.
Via: The Athens News > Will Coast Guard allow frack waste barging on Ohio River?
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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.