US Arctic drilling regulations finalized
Monday, July 11, 2016
[Shell Oil’s Polar Pioneer Arctic Drilling Rig – West Seattle, Seattle, Washington by Chas Redmond from Seattle WA, USA (IMG_2552) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons]
On July 7, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced final regulations for U.S. Arctic Outer Continental Shelf drilling.
Reuters reports that the regulations established safety standards for exploratory drilling, while also maintaining safe environmental standards.
Last year, Royal Dutch Shell withdrew its Arctic drilling plans after not finding enough oil and natural gas reserves in the Chukchi Sea.
Read more: Reuters > U.S. finalizes Arctic energy development regulation
More about Arctic drilling:
- Shell suspends Arctic oil and gas exploration – Sept. 29, 2015
- Shell begins exploratory drilling in Arctic – Aug. 6, 2015
- Could Arctic Ocean drilling benefit Ohio? – June 3, 2015
- Hilcorp sizes up Arctic drilling opportunity – Jan. 12, 2015
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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.