Middlesex Township residents oppose fracking near schools
Saturday, July 18, 2015
StateImpact Pennsylvania reports that some Butler County residents are concerned about the safety of children at schools near drilling sites after Rex Energy received a horizontal drilling permit for a site half a mile from Mars Area High School.
In a 2013 Penn Environment report, 26 well permits were found to be within a half mile of an elementary school. In August 2014, Middlesex Township in Butler County, Pennsylvania, approved zoning changes that opened up residential, suburban residential and town center districts to shale oil and gas development. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has considered adding schools and playgrounds to the list of places protected from oil and gas development.
Earlier in 2015, the Middlesex zoning hearing board voted to keep an ordinance that allows drilling in more than 90 percent of the township. Currently, that decision is under appeal at the county Court of Common Pleas.
Via: StateImpact Pennsylvania > Parents protest fracking near schools
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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.