Report: Pa. produced more natural gas in 2018 than ever before
Friday, July 12, 2019
Last year Pennsylvania produced the largest volume of natural gas it’s ever produced in a single year, according to the 2018 Oil and Gas Annual Report released July 10 by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Unconventional wells produced 6.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which was an increase of .8 trillion cubic feet over the total in 2017.
While production was up, permitting and drilling saw decreases. The DEP issued 160 fewer permits and operators drilled 33 fewer wells than the previous year.
Pennsylvania is the second largest natural gas-producing state in the country, behind Texas.
Learn more: Farm and Dairy > Report: PA produced record amount of natural gas in 2018
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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.