Anti-fossil-fuel movement makes pipeline projects difficult
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Spectra Energy’s Algonquin pipeline has been transporting natural gas into New England for years, but when the company applied to expand that pipeline so that cheap natural gas from Ohio and Pennsylvania’s shale could be transported, opponents spoke up.
Houston Chronicle reports that Spectra’s pipeline isn’t the only one facing opposition. Aside from President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone Pipeline, Kinder Morgan ended its plans to build a pipeline in Massachusetts and New Hampshire after opposition.
As U.S. shale drillers produce more natural gas than ever, a supply glut remains as companies seek new markets, such as New England where more and more people are switching to natural gas for heating. However, anti-fossil-fuel groups are speaking up about shale’s effects on the environment. According to the source, if environmentalists continue to gain support, pipeline projects will become more difficult to complete.
Read more: Houston Chronicle > Pipeline construction runs into anti-fossil-fuel movement
Leave a Comment
Marcellus & Utica Shale Well Map
Additional Shale Maps
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.