Farming in shale country, as told by Belmont County farmers
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register shares the perspective of two Belmont County, Ohio, farmers who have experienced the state’s Utica and Marcellus shale development firsthand.
The farmers still work on their farms, growing crops and raising cattle, just like they did before the royalty checks started coming in, and before the wells and pipelines were built. For them, the shale industry’s entry into eastern Ohio hasn’t changed much.
According to the source, Rice Energy has three of Ohio’s top 10 productive wells, all in Belmont County.
Read more: The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register > Belmont County Farmers Adjust to Drilling Life
Related:
- Belmont County is the one to watch in Ohio’s Utica Shale next year – Dec. 26, 2015
- Study claims pipelines will benefit agriculture economically – Nov. 25, 2015
- Negotiating the pipeline easement your farm can live with forever – Oct. 30, 2014
- Pa. study: If you get a shale check, will you stop milking? – March 3, 2012
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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.