Penn Township residents push for increased drilling regulations
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Fearful of environmental issues, health effects and decreased property values, residents of Trafford, Pennsylvania voiced their concerns about a proposed plan for wells to be drilled on farmland within the township’s borders.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PowerSource reports that residents and leaders of Trafford, a borough located in Penn Township, Pennsylvania, are hoping to dissuade township commissioners from their buffer zone proposal. Penn Township leaders have proposed a 600-foot buffer zone between wells and buildings and 1,000 feet between wells and water sources, but a citizen’s group wants a 2,000-foot buffer zone around buildings instead.
From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PowerSource:
“The proposed regulations would create a special zoning district that would include setback requirements between drilling operations and homes, schools and businesses on properties less than 10 acres. Rural areas and those zoned for agricultural and industrial use would remain exempt.”
The state Department of Environmental Protection has already given Apex Energy LLC permission to drill at the Trafford site.
Via: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PowerSource > Trafford residents concerned about gas drilling plans in nearby Penn
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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.