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Natural Gas Drilling / Fracking in Ohio

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Started 1 year ago by Antonio
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Antonio

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Recently governor Kasich has expressed some interest in allowing natural gas drilling in Eastern and Southern Ohio through the Marcellus shale areas.

After watching a documentary on this, I could not disagree more. This would be an enviromental disaster with devastating long term consequences to Ohio and the citizens health.

This idea MUST NOT GO FORWARD IN OHIO.

Haliburton and the others must not be allowed to do this.

If you have not watched the documentary " GASLAND " I urge you to do so.

http://articles.philly.com/2011-01-26/business/27049594_1_gas-drilling-pennsylvania-s-marcellus-shale-anti-drilling

Get the Video Player

Posted 1 year ago #
solpwr
Columbus
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Gasland has been on HBO in the past and I just noticed it was on a couple of days ago. It seems like the film would be hard to debunk considering that water wells go bad after the fracking process.
I know that a lot of farmers in Ohio have used natural gas on their properties to fuel their equipment. It is the fracking process that is contaminating the water because they drill and then they use a cocktail of chemicals to frack the shale. Drillers don't have to report what type of chemicals they use and the chemicals show up in the water and so does the gas. The chemicals used for fracking are considered "propietary" and is protected by the deregulation of the industry by VP Cheney. Does anyone remember the secret meeting with the energy companies that still has not been disclosed to the public? Well, fracking was part of that meeting.
You know that we are on this search for cheap fuel and fuel will never come at low cost. We are just fortunate that we have benefited from cheap fossil fuels for the last 100 years. Fracking for natural gas is ugly on the surface, contaminates the air and destroys the water. What good is land with bad water?
I live in a neighborhood where we are not allowed to have a clothsline or rainbarrel. How the EPA can let these corporations drill in such an irresponsible matter is beyond me. This article is pretty good about fracking from Vanity Fair. Gasland is also a good film. I am a bit surprised that your post got so little response. This will soon be a big issue in Ohio.
http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/06/fracking-in-pennsylvania-201006?currentPage=1

Posted 1 year ago #
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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There is a HUGE amount of oil/gas drilling that has gone on in Ohio over the years. We used to be a major player in the industry. The fracking issue is kind of a new spin on it, but even before that there were some pretty serious issues.

And shale gas is truly a sticky issue!

I mean, on one hand, we USE the stuff. It's a bit hypocritical to export the environmental cost/damage to other places/countries with lax regulation and then enjoy the benefit? Why not do it here and make SURE we keep it clean? Is that even possible?

On the other hand it can be horribly damaging when it goes wrong. There are places in Ohio that have already been damaged by oil spills and related mayhem. Maybe shale gas is a resource we should NOT go after just because we CAN. It'll still be there when we figure out a better way to go after it.

Thankfully, if I remember correctly, the Marcellus fm is pretty deep in OH. Deeper than NY and PA and our water wells (I gotta look that up to make sure I'm remembering that right). That would hopefully minimize the impact.

On the third hand, the energy produced is a HUGE economic benefit and these are some tough times for a lot of people and this might bring some welcome relief. Particularly in Southern Ohio, which really needs economic development of some kind.

One thing we should NOT do is just let the oil/gas companies do whatever they want with no consequence if they muck something up. That's not an option in my opinion. I do NOT want to pay some cut rate for gas if, when I turn the heat on, it's because some poor guy's water well got trashed. And really that's what it's all about.

Posted 1 year ago #
CooperGuy

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That's the problem with Gasland - it tends to scew facts. They don't have to report the chemicals used in fraking? Will this work? What is proprietary is the mix of the chemicals that each company uses - it may change with each drilling location - not the actual chemicals used.

In Ohio, along with the Marcellus, they are going after the Utica layer of shale. It supposedly has greater energy potential, but is much deeper than the Marcellus.

Rockmastermike wrote.
One thing we should NOT do is just let the oil/gas companies do whatever they want with no consequence if they muck something up. That's not an option in my opinion. I do NOT want to pay some cut rate for gas if, when I turn the heat on, it's because some poor guy's water well got trashed. And really that's what it's all about.

^ This says it all though.

Posted 1 year ago #
solpwr
Columbus
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A quick lesson on directional drilling. This was probably put out by the industry. If the industry was regulated, maybe the incidents of contamination would be eliminated.
http://www.realmenergy.ca:80/operations/technology.html

Posted 1 year ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Four years (1886-1890) changed the course of history in Northwest Ohio, making Findlay an industrial center.

1884: Findlay Natural Gas Company, formed by Dr. Charles Oesterlen, brings in first commercial natural gas well.
1886: Karg Well comes in and Findlay becomes known as the "City of Light."
1887: Free fuel, free light, and free land attracts 31 industries to Findlay.
1888: Findlay becomes known as "Glass Capital of the World."
1890: Natural gas output declines. Oil production increases.

They blew out their reserve in four years. I've heard the gas is still there but there's no pressure to bring it up.

I cannot understand how conservatives, of all people, don't want to conserve this resource. They love to complain about spending their grandchildrens' money, but it's perfectly fine to burn their gas.

Posted 1 year ago #
paktinat
WP
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CooperGuy wrote >> They don't have to report the chemicals used in fraking? Will this work? What is proprietary is the mix of the chemicals that each company uses - it may change with each drilling location - not the actual chemicals used.

Did you read this list? Do you know what is in AFS-30, GasFlo, and Inflo-250W surfactants?

Posted 1 year ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Old school: fill a brass torpedo with nitro and drop it down the well

http://www.petroleumhistory.org/OilHistory/pages/Shot/Nitro.html

Posted 1 year ago #
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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My parent's (in upstate NY) well became contaminated from abatement that happened almost a mile away - the kind of contaminated that caused them to replace pipes, sinks, bathtub, well pump... the whole shebang. Now they are having to redrill again, because so many folks around them have tapped into their current level that the pressure is gone.

Messing with the water table is no small matter. The regulations around the different kinds of drilling really need to be as tight as necessary to protect one of our greatest assets; even greater than gas or oil - drinkable water.

Posted 1 year ago #
solpwr
Columbus
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An article today about oil well fracking. I heard about this process for oil wells from a friend of mine in Texas that fracked a well. I asked him what chemical he used and he told me hydrogen.
http://www.valleynewslive.com/Global/story.asp?S=14003031

Posted 1 year ago #
DavidF
Elysium Fields
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Frackin natural gas. Try mining for tylium, now that's hazardous.

Posted 1 year ago #
CooperGuy

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paktinat wrote >>

CooperGuy wrote >> They don't have to report the chemicals used in fraking? Will this work? What is proprietary is the mix of the chemicals that each company uses - it may change with each drilling location - not the actual chemicals used.

Did you read this list? Do you know what is in AFS-30, GasFlo, and Inflo-250W surfactants?

Don't have a clue. I didn't say whether I agreed with the process. Just pointed out that Gasland skews some of it's facts, and offered a cite to one of them.

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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DavidF wrote >>
Frackin natural gas. Try mining for tylium, now that's hazardous.

*snicker*

Posted 1 year ago #
paktinat
WP
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And I'm saying that the list you provided as evidence to your point doesn't make your point because listing something as a surfactant does not tell me it's chemical composure. That's why I asked if you read the list.

Personally, the most damning fact about how bad the frac fluids are is how much R&D is going into what the industry is calling "green" fluids that are less harmful to the environment.

The oil and gas industry doesn't do things because they are nice people, they do them because they know even with 5th largest lobbying body in the US government that they soon will be forced to change what they are doing because it is so bad for the environment.

Posted 1 year ago #
CooperGuy

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paktinat wrote >>
And I'm saying that the list you provided as evidence to your point doesn't make your point because listing something as a surfactant does not tell me it's chemical composure. That's why I asked if you read the list.
Personally, the most damning fact about how bad the frac fluids are is how much R&D is going into what the industry is calling "green" fluids that are less harmful to the environment.
The oil and gas industry doesn't do things because they are nice people, they do them because they know even with 5th largest lobbying body in the US government that they soon will be forced to change what they are doing because it is so bad for the environment.

Ok

Posted 1 year ago #
Antonio

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Kasichs idea of opening up state parks to drilling must not be allowed to go forward.

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/17/copy/deficit-might-open-up-drilling.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

The very idea of this is absurd. If Ohio needs to charge an entrance fee like Indiana does, so be it.

http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/5062.htm

People do not go to state parks to smell and look at oil and natural gas rigs and operations.

Posted 1 year ago #
KSquared
Literally Hell
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Twixlen wrote >>
Messing with the water table is no small matter. The regulations around the different kinds of drilling really need to be as tight as necessary to protect one of our greatest assets; even greater than gas or oil - drinkable water.

This.

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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paktinat wrote >>

The oil and gas industry doesn't do things because they are nice people, they do them because they know even with 5th largest lobbying body in the US government that they soon will be forced to change what they are doing because it is so bad for the environment.

Wonder how expensive energy has to be before a majority of the population cares more about energy price than environmental damage...

Posted 1 year ago #
KSquared
Literally Hell
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rus wrote >>

paktinat wrote >>
The oil and gas industry doesn't do things because they are nice people, they do them because they know even with 5th largest lobbying body in the US government that they soon will be forced to change what they are doing because it is so bad for the environment.

Wonder how expensive energy has to be before a majority of the population cares more about energy price than environmental damage...

As much as many would like to believe otherwise, humans are all still dependent on the natural world for survival. Does it really make sense to foul our potable water instead of finding better solutions to our energy needs? I'm interested in the cost of things like desalination on a large scale versus developing and implementing alternative energy sources.

Posted 1 year ago #
Antonio

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If you can't drink the water or eat food energy doesn't really matter at that point.

rus wrote >>

paktinat wrote >>
The oil and gas industry doesn't do things because they are nice people, they do them because they know even with 5th largest lobbying body in the US government that they soon will be forced to change what they are doing because it is so bad for the environment.

Wonder how expensive energy has to be before a majority of the population cares more about energy price than environmental damage...

Posted 1 year ago #