Environment and drinking water were issues brought up at Marcellus Shale drilling meeting
Protecting drinking water and the environment were the main concerns raised by those attending an informational forum on Marcellus Shale drilling Thursday evening at the Gettysburg Fire Department.
More than 100 people packed the fire hall to listen to experts from Penn State University, the state Department of Environmental Protection, and the natural gas company Chesapeake Energy discuss the advantages and disadvantages of hydraulic fracturing drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formations in Pennsylvania.
The question-and-answer session was hosted by Rep. Dan Moul, R-Conewago Township, a strong proponent of natural gas as a cleaner alternative to foreign oil.
Several members of the audience peppered panel members with detailed questions on the toxicity of chemicals used in the drilling process, reports of methane gas leakage, radioactive particles in rivers and streams, and the governmental oversight of the industry.
Dan Lapato, with the DEP’s policy division, said repeated water testing has shown no evidence of above ground radioactivity and serious contamination in water samples.
“This is not something where we drop a jar in and see what comes out,” he said. “There’s a whole bunch of things we have to look for. It’s just not there.”
Lapato said DEP “was getting ahead of the curve” in its regulations overseeing the drilling industry.
“This is not a legacy that will be left behind,” he said. “They (the gas industry) will be held accountable.”
The surge in natural gas drilling has been spawned by the fairly new technique of horizontal drilling and precision hydraulic fracturing, known as ?fracking,? that has allowed drills to tap areas that were previously cost-prohibitive.
David Yoxtheimer, of the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, explained how one drilling pad could be used to drill up to 10 wells, thereby decreasing the impact at the drilling site. He said most drilling sites use about five to six acres before being restored after the drilling process.
Yoxtheimer said there were 2,900 natural gas wells drilled in the state, with half of those being drilled last year. He cited a study that projected 10,000 wells to be drilled by the year 2030.
Several audience members questioned the impact of having thousands of drilling sites in the state and the amount of water used in the drilling process, which can require up to 5 million gallons of water per well.
“Water safety is something we think about in every step of the process,” said Brian Grove, with Chesapeake Energy.
Grove said Chesapeake Energy uses a “closed loop” system that captures water brought back up to the surface during drilling and uses that water at other sites.
During his presentation, Grove described how wells are sealed by seven protective casements, including cement, as they are drilled to prevent contamination to water supplies.
Chesapeake Energy is one the largest producers of natural gas in the United States and has 24 well sites in Pennsylvania, concentrated in the northern tier of the commonwealth. Chesapeake employees about 1,400 workers connected to drilling in the state, Grove said.
Yoxtheimer said the natural gas industry added $3.8 billion to the state’s economy last year and is projected to add $18.8 billion to the state by 2020.
Grove deflected claims that Pennsylvania has lax regulations overseeing the natural gas industry.
“We have to report everything,” he said. “Pennsylvania’s laws are more stringent than the EPA’s.”
He said a much-talked about severance tax on wells could make the industry reconsider drilling in the state.
“I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve seen a lot of businesses leave Pennsylvania,” he said.
Moul, though, has said he favors a severance tax on drillers.
Most audience members walked away better informed on the Marcellus Shale drilling, if not sold on it.
“It (the forum) allayed a lot of my fears,” said Gary Hansford, of Hanover.
“These guys (the natural gas industry) are going to do what they are going to do,” said Karen Ramsburg of Franklin County. “We all have a right to clean air and clean water. I think they need to be held accountable.”
Moul pointed out the environmental benefits to natural gas, which burns 50 percent cleaner than coal and 30 percent cleaner than oil. “This is a golden opportunity for Pennsylvania if we do it right,” Moul told the audience.
By CRAIG K. PASKOSKI The Evening Sun
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_17747779