Shale industry tries to block new Pa. drilling legislation
Friday, October 28, 2016
On Oct. 13, the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a trade group representing unconventional gas producers, filed a legal challenge to block new rules intended to reduce the impacts of oil and gas drilling in Pennsylvania, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The coalition is not challenging the entire package of EPA regulations, but targeting specific provisions in Chapter 78a of the Pennsylvania Code.
The new standards ban open-air-waste-storage pits, establish minimum distances that wells must be from schools and playgrounds and add new regulations for monitoring wells and cleaning up spills. Additionally, under the revisions any water contamination near a well would be considered the driller’s fault and minimum distances wells must be from water supplies, public parks and forests have been set.
Learn more: The Philadelphia Inquirer > Shale Industry sues to block new Pa. drilling rules
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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.