The recent US shale boom has spurred economic growth but it has also generated a public debate about whether the hydraulic fracturing methods of extracting the fossil fuels cause water, air, or other environmental degradation. This week, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences released a study linking the contamination of water wells to the faulty construction of nearby gas wells rather than the drilling or fracking mechanisms of releasing gas from shale formations. The peer reviewed study analyzed data from 133 contaminated drinking water wells in Pennsylvania and Texas which fall in the Marcellus shale and Barnett shale. Water wells were sampled to identify the source of gas contamination and if increased levels of gases in drinking water wells occurred naturally or whether the change in water quality was caused by fracking. Continue reading
Source of water well contamination in Texas and Pennsylvania identified
California water table drops; demand for water well data rises
You have probably heard by now: California is facing an extreme drought that is threatening the state’s population, ecosystems, and economic stability. What you may not know is that much of California, at least 40% during non-drought conditions, relies on groundwater wells to fulfill water demand. During times of extended drought that number jumps significantly. Currently, demand for groundwater and the extraction of water from aquifers is outpacing nature’s ability to replenish, or recharge, the aquifers and the water table is beginning to drop at an alarming rate.
Water well drillers are working around the clock to keep up with requests for new wells
In response to the lack of water and diminishing water table, countless farmers and landowners are finding that their water wells have dried up. Once the water table drops lower than the well is drilled, it is rendered useless. Today drillers must drill deeper than they ever have. Deep drilling comes with an immediate economic cost as well as an environmental cost that will become more apparent in the future. It was not uncommon for a groundwater well drilled 400 feet deep to provide water supplies that would be adequate for years, if not decades. However, due to the extended drought and a number of factors relating to the state’s lack of water pumping restrictions, many drillers now must drill 1,000 feet or deeper in some areas. Drilling water wells is not a cheap endeavor, and the deeper the well is drilled, the deeper the pockets you need to have. For example, a California drilling company in the Central Valley is drilling 1,000 feet deep for an astonishing price tag of $300,000-$350,000. Continue reading
Big changes in Mexico’s oil & gas industry
As the world’s 15th largest economy and 9th in crude oil production, Mexico stands in a unique position to elevate their economic status on the international market after a monumental shift in national policy Monday. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto signed new policies into law, opening the energy sector to private and foreign investment for the first time since 1938. This was preceded by a Congress vote in December, approving the bill 353-134, that will lead to the end of the monopoly by state-owned oil and gas company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. This new bill provides both foreign and private companies the opportunity to drill, explore, and extract resources that were previously out of their reach. Continue reading
North Carolina coal ash spill update
In February, 70 miles of North Carolina’s Dan River turned gray after a broken stormwater pipe released millions of gallons of sludge from a retired power plant. The company responsible for the spill, Duke Energy, found the source of the leak and plugged the broken pipeline one week after the spill started. Duke estimates up to 39,000 tons of coal ash was emptied into the river. Across the state of North Carolina, Duke Energy’s 14 coal-fired power plants contain 100 million tons of coal ash waste. Continue reading
USDOT proposes new regulations for transportation of crude oil
This past week, United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (pdf) and an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (pdf) that seeks to improve the safe transportation of large quantities of flammable materials by rail. The announcement comes in the wake of several accidents involving derailed train cars that put the general public and the environment at risk – and resulted in fatalities. Over the past year, the Department of Transport has made over a dozen amendments to improve the safety of the rail system to ensure the safe transport of crude oil and ethanol in the United States.
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