Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Drilling in NY

Nothing stirs up controversy like drilling for natural gas, or oil for that matter.  Even before the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, people have been fighting it out verbally at Town Hall meetings across western and the Southern Tier of New York.  Everyone has an opinion, from the environmentalists worried about chemicals leaching into local water supplies to the land coalitions formed to protect individual landowner’s interests.

The Marcellus Shale is located in an almost identical location to the map of Appalachia. It extends from Tennessee to New York (see image). Ironic, considering this is one of the poorest areas in the United States, even today. The possibility of families finally crawling out of poverty by a windfall named “natural gas” has given hope to thousands. With an economic downturn that has increased unemployment to new highs, especially in Steuben County, New York, the possibility of natural gas drilling has many getting ready to line up at local unemployment offices.

While drilling can cause an employment boom in areas where drilling is taking place, it is a bone of contention for many environmentalists.  This is especially true in areas where hydrofracting is taking place.  It is important to note, however, that not all natural gas drilling employs the hydrofracting process.

A hot topic on many people's minds is whether hydrofracting should be allowed in the drilling for natural gas. This is one of the reasons for the delay in issuing permits for natural gas drilling in New York. Fracting is not needed in most cases to drill for natural gas. The drilling can be done vertically. Fracting is only done when the drilling needs to be done horizontally, after drilling down vertically (see image).

Environmentalists are concerned that the chemicals being used in the fracting process may leak into the above water tables (since drilling for natural gas is below the water tables). The fracting process produces what is known as brine or TDS (total dissolved solids)- a salty backwash that is a result of high pressure water and sand being pumped into the gas well.  The salt content is three times that found in the ocean's salt water. Gas companies are not releasing the information on the chemicals being used in this process to the general public, though many people already know the contents of this process. The companies do not need to release this information to the public because it is proprietary information. It is known that benzene and cadmium are among the toxins contained in the backwash.

A concern is how the TDS or brine should be disposed of. In Pennsylvania it is disposed of in local waste treatment plants, but there is a question as to whether these plants are able to handle all of the waste water being created by the drilling boom.

There are other options on the horizon for handling fracting waste, whether it is being done in the United States or other countries around the world. Geomembrane and geosynthetic clay liners may be a long term solution for storing the brine created by the hydrofracting process. This may be a way for waste treatment plants to keep up with the pace of drilling by having a storage area specifically for fracting waste until it can be safely treated.

Currently, as of August 2010, there is a proposed moratorium on drilling/hydrofracting in NY, which would last until May of 2011. This moratorium has the potential to be extended an additional 3 years if the EPA does another study of the hydrofracting process and its relationship to drinking water. At the time of this writing, New York Governor David Paterson has not signed the moratorium.

The EPA previously did a similar study that was published in 2004. The new proposed study will cost taxpayers a projected 1.9 million dollars.

UPDATE: December 11, 2010

New York Governor David Paterson vetoed bills S.8129-B/A.11443-B
that were to have imposed a moratorium on all drilling in New York State. However, there is a temporary moratorium on hydrofracking until July 1, 2011 (at the earliest). This veto will allow gas companies and their workers to continue work on existing wells in addition to allowing permits to continue to be issued for natural gas drilling.

Update: March, 2011, drilling will be permitted beginning in July of this year. Permits are being issued, and have been since November of 2010. Propane fracking may be the favored method in the fracking process as there are many opponents of hydrofracking.

Update: October, 2011, an second open comment period is nearing the end on the latest SGEIS report. At the end of the comment period, gas lease permits may be issued beginning in 2012. Latest report from the NY Post: Fracking Gets a Clean Bill of Health

Update: December, 2011, a third open comment period is going to be allowed. The DEC appears incapable of making a decision in a timely fashion. The comment periods have lasted for 3 years now.