Atlantic Coast pipeline’s path could impact West Virginia wildlife
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
West Virginia wildlife could be threatened by the Atlantic Coast Pipeline planned to cross the state.
The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register reports that the 42-inch diameter pipeline will potentially run through or near the George Washington National Forest and the Monongahela National Forest. The species that could be impacted by the pipeline include the West Virginia northern flying squirrel, the Cheat Mountain salamander, as well as the Cow Knob salamander in Virginia.
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will stretch for 600 miles south to Tyler County, West Virginia, and onto Virginia and into North Carolina. The pipeline is awaiting Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval, and pipeline developers have to address concerns about the wildlife.
Read more: The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register > Major Marcellus and Utica Shale Pipeline Projects Under FERC Review
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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.