Natural gas development in Pa. state forests slows
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
In recent years, the development of natural gas in Pennsylvania’s state forest system has slowed dramatically, according to a report from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
According to State Impact Pennsylvania, the decline in activity is due to low natural gas prices, which have facilitated decreased drilling. That along with a moratorium on new leasing of state land imposed by Governor Tom Wolf.
Nearly half of Pennsylvania’s 2.2 million acres of forest is available for natural gas development through both leases to drilling companies issued by DCNR (386,000 acres) and areas where the state does not own the underground mineral rights. In the DCNR’s first Shale Gas Monitoring Report, published in 2014, DCNR found 1,425 acres of forest had been converted for shale gas infrastructure. The recently released updated information found 334 acres had been converted.
Learn more: State Impact Pennsylvania > Natural gas development in Pa. state forests has slowed significantly
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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.