Will towns be able to control shale drilling in their communities?
Saturday, August 2, 2014
The Plain Dealer reports that another town has decided to take action against oil and gas companies wishing to drill wells.
The village of Gates Mills, a suburb of Cleveland, wants a bill of rights on the election ballot in November that would give local communities the power to ban fracking, even though the state regulates drilling.
So, Gates Mills Mayor Shawn Riley “wants property owners to pool their land, decide if and where hydraulic fracturing will be located in the village, and split the royalties.” However, some residents fear this will only open the door to more oil and gas companies to drill.
Other Ohio towns that face lawsuits from oil and gas companies because of local zoning include Broadview Heights and Munroe Falls. A drilling ban in a town in Colorado was found to be overruled by state law. A couple towns in New York, however, have seen fracking banned.
Via: The Plain Dealer > The fracking debate: How communities are trying to control fracking
Related story: Fracking causes controversy in some towns
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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.