Pennsylvania considers potential of becoming carbon-capture hub
Friday, August 6, 2021
Pennsylvania officials believe the state is ideally suited to become a hub to capture and store emissions of carbon dioxide, according to Bay Journal.
One way for the U.S. to accomplish its goals to reduce carbon emissions is by developing a vast network of pipelines to transport gas and industrial hubs where CO2 can be stored underground. Advocates for Pennsylvania becoming one of these hubs say the state is well-positioned for carbon storage because of its deep-underground, porous rock reservoirs, 2 or more miles underground in the state’s western and northern reaches, that can be used as places to safely store large amounts of carbon.
Although there are already 10 large-scale carbon capture operating in the U.S., the practicality and safety of indefinite underground storage is unproven. Environmentalists are also concerned about the possibility of CO2 leakage from these hubs and the potential for injections to touch off small earthquakes, similar to those that were triggered in Ohio and Texas by underground injections of wastewater from natural gas and oil drilling.
Learn more: Bay Journal > As federal support emerges, PA wants to be carbon capture hub
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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.