Pa.’s attempts to track gas drilling waste flawed
Liquid that comes out of the wells — first in a gush, and then gradually for the years and decades it is in operation — is ultra-salty and contaminated with substances like barium, strontium, radium, and other things that can be damaging to the environment.
The natural gas industry’s claim that it is making great strides in reducing how much polluted wastewater it discharges to Pennsylvania rivers is proving difficult to assess because of inconsistent reporting by energy companies — and at least one big data entry error in the state’s system for tracking the contaminated fluids.
Last month, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection released data that appeared to show that drillers had found a way to recycle nearly 6.9 million barrels of the toxic brine produced by natural gas wells — fluid that in past years would have been sent to wastewater plants for partial treatment, and then discharged into rivers that also serve as drinking water supplies.
But those figures were revealed Thursday to have been wildly inflated, due to a mistake by Seneca Resources Corp., a subsidiary of Houston-based National Fuel Gas Co. The company said a worker gave some data to the state in the wrong unit of measure, meaning that about 125,000 barrels of recycled wastewater was misreported as more than 5.2 million barrels.
The error left the false impression that, as an industry, gas companies had created about 10.6 million barrels of wastewater in the last six months of 2010, and then recycled at least 65 percent of that total.
“They did put in gallons where they should have put in barrels,” Seneca spokeswoman Nancy Taylor explained after the error was reported Thursday by the Philadelphia Inquirer. There are 42 gallons in every barrel. Taylor said the company was working to correct its information.
So how much waste did the industry actually recycle? It may be impossible to say with certainty.
Not counting Seneca’s bad numbers — and assuming that the rest of the state’s data is accurate — drillers reported that they generated about 5.4 million barrels of wastewater in the second half of 2010. Of that, DEP lists about 2.8 million barrels going to treatment plants that discharge into rivers and streams, about 460,000 barrels being sent to underground disposal wells, and about 2 million barrels being recycled or treated at plants with no river discharge.
That would suggest a recycling rate of around 38 percent, a number that stands in stark contrast to the 90 percent recycling rate claimed by some industry representatives. But Kathryn Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, stood by the 90 percent figure this week after it was questioned by The Associated Press, The New York Times and other news organizations.
“I am definitely holding to the 90 percent,” she said, adding that her figure was based on internal industry data. “It is definitely high and going higher.”
As for the wastewater management reports filed annually with the state and reported to the public, she and other people in the industry said they aren’t fully representative of the industry’s practices.
At least one company, Range Resources of Fort Worth, Texas, said it hadn’t been reporting much of its recycled wastewater at all, because it believed the DEP’s tracking system only covered water that the company sent out for treatment or disposal, not fluids it reused on the spot.
Another company that had boasted of a near 100 percent recycling rate, Cabot Oil & Gas, also Houston-based, told The AP that the figure only included fluids that gush from a well once it is opened for production by a process known as hydraulic fracturing. Company spokesman George Stark said it didn’t include different types of wastewater unrelated to fracturing, like groundwater or rainwater contaminated during the drilling process by chemically tainted drilling muds.
DEP officials did not immediately respond to inquiries about the problems with the state’s data.
The AP reported in January that previous attempts by the state to track where wastewater was going were also flawed. Some companies reported that wells had generated wastewater, but failed to say where it went. The state was unable to account for the disposal method for nearly 1.3 million barrels of wastewater, or about a fifth of the total reported in the 12 month period that ended June 30. At least some went to a facility that had not received permission from regulators.
Among large gas-producing states, Pennsylvania is the only one that allows substantial amounts of wastewater produced by gas drilling to be discharged into rivers. Other states don’t allow the practice because of environmental concerns. The preferred disposal method in most other places is to inject the well water into rock formations far underground, where it can’t contaminate surface water.
Liquid that comes out of the wells — first in a gush, and then gradually for the years and decades it is in operation — is ultra-salty and contaminated with substances like barium, strontium, radium, and other things that can be damaging to the environment.
Pennsylvania’s strategy for protecting the health of its rivers is based partly on knowing which waterways are getting the waste, and how much they are receiving.
Regulators monitor which rivers are being used as discharge points for treated well wastewater, and use reports filed by Seneca and other companies to help decide which waterways should be watched for signs that the rivers aren’t assimilating the waste stream. Even if Seneca’s data error had gone unnoticed — unlikely given the size of the blunder — it probably would not have had an effect on that effort, because it involved waste not sent to treatment plants for river disposal.
MARCH 10, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP846de77b9e4c41dbb94ddb76dca74dd6.html
Scientists: Delaware River faces threats
PHILADELPHIA — Threats ranging from global warming to natural gas drilling could threaten the water quality in the Delaware River, scientists and environmental advocates said Thursday.
The state of the river got in-depth attention Thursday at a forum held by the federal Environmental Protection Agency with meetings at six locations in all four states along the river.
Many of the presentations focused on the dangers of climate change, which could cause the salt line to shift upriver and threaten drinking water supplies in Philadelphia or bring additional water-borne diseases to the region.
Delaware River Basin Commission executive director Carol Collier called drilling for natural gas “the huge gorilla” among things that could harm the river. The concern is that chemicals used to extract gas from deep underground in a process called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” could contaminate the drinking water supply.
A massive underground rock formation known as the Marcellus Shale, which stretches from Tennessee to New York and contains natural gas, is under about one-third of the land in the Delaware basin. It’s also under all the headwaters of the most pristine parts of the river. There, the commission, which monitors water quality in area around the river, is trying to maintain current water quality.
Collier’s agency is considering rules on how to regulate drilling in areas near the Delaware. Collier said Thursday that September is the earliest commissioners would vote on proposed regulations.
Drilling companies say their process is safe. They and many northeast Pennsylvania landowners also say the proposed regulations would be stifling for business in an area that could use a boost.
Environmental groups worry the regulations would be too permissive.
The public can comment on the proposed regulations until April 15.
Environmentalists have been pushing the DRBC to wait until there’s a full EPA study on the impacts of fracking in the region before issuing rules.
Collier said that decision will be made by her commission, which includes the governors of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware and a federal representative. But, she said, the final EPA report isn’t expected to be released for another three years.
MARCH 10, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP2383bce525c34f6a88282883079545d8.html
Devastating appropriation cut advanced for Penn State
Penn State Ag Sciences Newswire – 3.8.2011
Penn State and other Pennsylvania public universities are slated for the most dramatic appropriation cut in the history of American higher education, based on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s budget proposal released today (March 8) by Gov. Tom Corbett.
The budget cuts Penn State’s appropriation by 52.4 percent, a devastating reduction of $182 million. This includes a 50 percent cut in Penn State’s educational appropriation, a 50 percent cut in its Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension appropriations, the loss of all federal stimulus dollars, a reduction for the Pennsylvania College of Technology, and the total elimination of medical assistance funding for the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
The proposed appropriation represents the most severe funding cut in Penn State’s 157-year history and suggests a redefinition of Penn State’s role as Pennsylvanias land-grant institution.
“A funding gap this large is going to fundamentally change the way we operate, from the number of students we can educate, to the tuition we must charge, to the programs we offer and the services we can provide, to the number of employees and the research we undertake,” said President Graham Spanier.
According to university officials, a cut of this magnitude jeopardizes the University’s mission of providing access and opportunity to students at 24 campuses. It would undermine support of the Commonwealth’s agricultural industry and force a complete redefinition of the state’s Cooperative Extension Service and the agricultural research upon which it depends. It would affect the University’s ability to sustain dozens of programs that support economic development in the Commonwealth.
The University currently receives less than 8 percent of its annual operating budget from the state, a figure that has eroded significantly over the last two decades. Under the governor’s proposal, that figure will fall to 4 percent.
This budget proposal comes on the heels of a decade of stagnant state appropriations that in some years also were reduced again through mid-year rescissions.
Cuts in higher education budgets are being proposed in many states, but never has a single institution’s budget been slated for a reduction of more than 50 percent in a given year. The University would have a matter of only a few weeks to manage such a catastrophic cut.
“A reduction of this magnitude would necessitate massive budget cuts, layoffs and tuition increases, with a devastating effect on many students, employees and their families,” said Al Horvath, senior vice president for Finance and Business. “While we have for many months been planning for a potential state funding cut, we could not have envisioned one so damaging to the future of the University and the Commonwealth.”
University officials report that no one in state government reached out to them with any advance notice of such a possibility, nor was there any prior discussion about the potential impact of such a cut.
Penn State has mobilized a team of University leaders to look at operational cuts. “We must consider the welfare of our students and the quality of their education, not to mention our long-term funding stability,” said Steve Garban, chairman of Penn State’s Board of Trustees. “As we work to handle a potential funding cut, we’ll be guided by our goals of quality and access, and we’ll seek to avoid having our students and their families shoulder this entire burden through increased tuition — although tuition will rise.”
“We are eager to explore with elected officials whether they support this proposal and whether they see this as the first step toward the complete elimination of public higher education in Pennsylvania,” said John Surma, CEO of US Steel, who serves as vice chair of Penn State’s Board of Trustees and chair of its Budget Subcommittee.
Administrators plan to deal with the cuts as equitably as possible, but significant downsizing in academic and administrative units will be under consideration. Scaling back plans for critical facility needs, such as major maintenance and capital improvements, will be undertaken; changes to the University’s health care programs will be revisited to create additional savings; salary increases for employees will likely again be frozen; and more across-the-board budget reductions for academic and administrative units will have to be instituted.
“We are committed to finding every possible way to reduce expenses and maintain quality,â added Spanier. “We face difficult choices and this will be an extremely challenging year — one that quite possibly will change the face of higher education in the Commonwealth.”
The governor’s budget proposal is the first step in the appropriation process. Penn State will continue to press its case for support with the General Assembly and the governor over the next several weeks.
“I want to thank Penn Staters for their continued support and for all of their efforts that allow Penn State to be the most student-centered research university in the nation,” added Spanier. “I deeply appreciate the commitment we feel from our 96,000 students, our 47,000 faculty and staff, and our 514,000 alumni. I vow to challenge the level of this reduction aggressively and welcome the support that is already pouring in.”
Expert to discuss health impacts of natural gas compressors
Dr. Conrad D. Volz of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Healthy Environments and Communities will talk about “Public Health Impacts of Natural Gas Compressor Stations” at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Insalaco Hall, Rooms 216-217, Misericordia University, 301 Lake St., Dallas.
Volz, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, is focused on researching how industrial and municipal contaminants move through air, water and soil and can affect humans.
Samantha Malone, a University of Pittsburgh Center for Healthy Environments and Communities Communications specialist and the founder and webmaster of FracTracker.org, an online mapping system, will also give a presentation.
The program is the second installment of the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition’s “Educational Series for an Informed Citizenry.” It is free and open to the public. For information, visit GDACoalition.org.
Published: March 5, 2011
http://citizensvoice.com/news/expert-to-discuss-health-impacts-of-compressors-1.1114261#axzz1FY5MNqYe
Electronic recycling event slated April 25, 26 in Carbon County
The Carbon County Department of Solid Waste has announced that it will hold its spring 2011 electronic recycling event on April 25 and 26 at the Lower Towamensing Township building.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., on April 25, and noon to 6 p.m. on April 26.
During the two-day event, Carbon officials and Advanced Green Solutions, will accept electronics at no charge to Carbon County residents. Acceptable materials include: VCRs, DVD players, radios, stereo equipment, computer towers, printers, scanners, keyboards, laptops, hard drives, mainframe and telecom equipment, application (OEM) equipment, circuit boards of any kind, fax machines, typewriters, and telephones. Computer monitors will be accepted by Advanced Green Solutions with a $7 charge; TVs and air conditioners will be accepted with a $20 charge.
There will also be collection boxes for old cell phones and printer ink jet cartridges. Household appliances will not be accepted.
For more information, contact the Department of Solid Waste at (610) 852-5111.
http://www.tnonline.com/node/179254
Reported on Saturday, March 5, 2011
Radiation-fracking link sparks swift reactions
Reports this week of high radiation levels in Marcellus Shale waste fracking fluids and weak regulation of the industry have turned on a spigot of action by federal and state officials.
U.S. Environmental Protection Administrator Lisa Jackson visited the agency’s Region III office in Philadelphia Friday to ascertain the radiation issue will be addressed in an ongoing national study on the drinking water impacts of hydraulic fracturing, an industrial process used in shale gas development.
The EPA will seek data from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the drilling industry on radioactivity in the fracking fluid “flowback” water.
In a statement released following Ms. Jackson’s meeting, the EPA said that while the national study progresses, it “will not hesitate to take any steps under the law to protect Americans whose health may be at risk,” including enforcement actions to ensure that drinking water supplies are protected.
After a well is drilled, millions of gallons of water, sand and chemical additives are pumped deep underground under high pressure to crack the shale formation and release the gas it contains. As much as 20 percent of that fracking fluid waste returns to the surface with the gas and contains a variety of radioactive minerals from the shale.
The New York Times reported that hydraulic fracturing wastewater at 116 of 179 deep gas wells in the state contained high levels of radiation and its effect on public drinking water supplies is unknown because water suppliers are required to conduct tests of radiation only sporadically.
A number of public water suppliers, including the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and Pennsylvania American Water Co. said this week that they would voluntarily test for radiation.
State Rep. Camille Bud George, D-Clearfield, announced he will introduce legislation calling for mandatory and independent radiation testing of all public water supplies that could potentially be affected by Marcellus Shale drilling wastewater discharges, and requiring the drilling and gas companies to pay for the testing.
State Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, renewed his call for a moratorium on drilling and said he will introduce legislation to toughen state Oil and Gas Act regulations on well siting around residences and streams, and impose a severance tax on Marcellus Shale gas production. Gov. Tom Corbett opposes such a tax.
“A moratorium is the most reasonable approach, especially in light of recent revelations about serious threats to our drinking water supply,” Mr. Ferlo said. “This bill provides a framework for updating and improving regulations, as well as retaining the economic benefits of Marcellus Shale development.”
In a statement issued Thursday, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, one of the most mainstream of the state’s environmental organizations, called on Mr. Corbett to drop plans to open more of the state’s forests and parks to Marcellus gas drilling.
By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Don Hopey: dhopey@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11064/1129908-113.stm
DRBC adds 30 days to drilling comment period
The Delaware River Basin Commission approved a 30-day extension of the public comment period for its proposed natural gas drilling regulations on Wednesday.
The extension had been requested by lawmakers and dozens of environmental organizations but opposed by a coalition of Marcellus Shale drillers, who said that an extension would “undermine dialogue on these proposed regulations by granting those with the least involvement and direct affiliation with the river basin disproportionate impact.”
Commissioners from Delaware, New Jersey, New York and the federal government voted for the extension during a meeting in New Jersey on Wednesday. The commissioner from Pennsylvania opposed it.
Written comments on the draft rules will now be accepted until April 15.
The commissioners did not schedule additional public hearings on the draft regulations as the environmental groups requested.
Three hearings were held last week in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but the groups asked for more hearings in more regions of the basin, including New York City and Philadelphia, “the two largest population centers that rely on the Delaware River for water supplies.”
The Marcellus Shale Coalition sent a letter to each of the commission members last Friday saying an extension of the comment period would “detract from the voices of the key stakeholders heard throughout the process.”
“Those with the greatest stake – including landowners, residents of the basin, and our member companies who are investing capital and creating jobs in the region – have been actively reviewing and responding to the proposals since late last year, without the need for an extended comment period,” coalition president Kathryn Klaber wrote.
The text of the proposed regulations and a link to submit comments electronically are at www.drbc.net. About 2,500 comments have been submitted to the commission so far.
By Laura Legere (Staff Writer)
Published: March 3, 2011
llegere@timesshamrock.com
http://citizensvoice.com/news/drilling/drbc-adds-30-days-to-drilling-comment-period-1.1113198#axzz1FY5MNqYe
Dozens attend hearing on drilling in Hampton
At a public hearing on Marcellus Shale drilling last week in Hampton, some speakers questioned the safety of drilling in an area that’s honeycombed with old coal mines, while others voiced fears of polluted water and the wear and tear on infrastructure.
But one resident had a different view.
Paul Dudenas, who told council that he works in the petroleum and natural gas drilling industry, gave this description of drilling in the shale to release natural gas:
“Well drilling is short-term chaos and then the chaos goes away, and you’re burning safe, reliable, American, clean-burning natural gas.”
According to Mr. Dudenas, fears of water contamination are unfounded because Marcellus Shale lies about 7,000 feet below ground. “There are 380 million years of rock in between. The physics of it just don’t allow for water contamination,” he said.
No cases of groundwater contamination have been reported due to hydraulic fracturing of the shale, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, but the DEP has issued violations of the state Clean Stream Law in connection with the drilling of Marcellus wells, including accidental discharges of drilling wastewater onto the ground or into streams. In addition, new concerns were raised recently that wastewater from the drilling may contain high levels of radiation.
Dozens attended the Feb. 23 hearing in Hampton Community Center, which was the township’s second public hearing on a proposed zoning ordinance to address oil and gas drilling regulations. It was held at the community center instead of the municipal offices to accommodate the crowd.
Action on the ordinance will be taken in April, at the earliest.
Hampton council President Victor Son said the township’s planning commission and land use staff have been working for more than a year on crafting and revising the local ordinance.
“Our focus is on allowing a conditional use [for drilling operations],” he said. “Otherwise, we would be in violation of the municipal planning code, and then [drilling] could be allowed anywhere in the township.”
Using South Fayette’s drilling ordinance as a template, Hampton officials designated three zoning areas — light industrial, heavy industry and research and development — as the only places in Hampton where drilling activities would be allowed as a conditional use.
Mr. Son told residents that the ordinance is a pre-emptive measure the township is taking to protect residential land.
“We don’t want to be reactionary to someone wanting to drill,” he explained. “We want to define areas and then force the drillers to come to us for conditional use [hearings]. To not have a plan would have been the worst thing.”
Some changes in the most recent draft of the township’s Ordinance 627 that were discussed during the hearing included adding 10 acres to total 20 acres as the required amount of land needed to support a drilling pad; mandating that any gas processing plant or compressor station be restricted to heavy industrial zones; and prohibiting drilling in a flood zone.
The ordinance also includes amendments to zoning regulations regarding farm animals, alcohol sales, handicapped parking requirements, outdoor lighting regulations, fencing and setback requirements, natural gas treatment systems and other items designed to preserve quality of life.
Mr. Son added that salt reclaimed from the hydraulic fracturing process, which forces a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into man-made fractures in the earth to break up the shale, can be used as road salt for municipalities.
He said that drilling technology is rapidly advancing and council will continue to make changes in response to whatever is happening in the industry. For example, he said, hydrogen may replace water in the fracking process. “Our concern is always for the residents and maintaining our quality of life,” he said.
The township’s environmental advisory council and zoning hearing board have been instrumental in rewriting Ordinance 627. The township is still seeking residents to serve on both of the boards.
Contact the township offices at 412- 486-0400.
Council also approved the appointment of Amar Mishra to fill a vacancy on the Hampton Community Association Board. Another vacancy exists on that board.
By Jill Cueni-Cohen
March 03, 2011
Jill Cueni-Cohen, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11062/1129203-54.stm
Northern Tier official defends hydrofracturing from New York Times portrayal
Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko said drilling through the Marcellus Shale with compressed water is a safe natural gas retrieval method, not the health hazard portrayed by a New York Times report.
McLinko’s defense of the hydrofracturing came in a Wednesday news report in which he responded to a New York Times article questioning the state of water management and gas regulation here.
“The New York Times blatant misrepresentation of Pennsylvania gas regulations glosses over the robust programs in place to protect the people and the environment in Pennsylvania,” McLinko said. “I have complete faith in the extensive oversight and enforcement efforts the state has put in place over the last two years.”
McLinko said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 declared hydraulic fracturing safe, and as recently as last year, the state Department of Environmental Protection conducted a study that found no evidence of groundwater contamination due to hydraulic fracturing.
“The greatest danger exposed by the New York Times coverage is the danger of misinformation and careless fact checking,” McLinko said.
March 3, 2011
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/560986/Northern-Tier-official-defends-hydrofracturing-from-New-York-Times-portrayal.html?nav=5011
Is Pennsylvania doing a bad job of protecting drinking water?
The New York Times raised some eyebrows by saying Pennsylvania’s monitoring of water from gas well sites is lax. Is there any danger to our drinking water from a process known as hydraulic fracturing?
Engineering a producing gas well is not as simple as drilling a hole in the ground and adding some pipe. Underground rock structures have to be fractured to release natural gas. The process is known as hydraulic fracturing. Water, acid and other materials are pumped under extremely high pressure to fracture the underground rock structures. The process has been used for decades in Pennsylvania.
The New York Times articles suggest that naturally occurring, low level radioactivity picked up by underground water could be a health hazard if it reaches drinking water supplies.
It was the first thing that Governor Corbett’s choice for DEP Secretary was asked about in a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
“There are drinking water standards,” said Judge Michael Krancer, the Acting DEP Secretary. “As one of the commentators of the article says, we think it’s safe. There have been calls from various quarters to do some testing.”
Judge Krancer said if he’s confirmed as DEP Secretary, he’ll look into such testing.
But the man who just departed as DEP Secretary said experts on radioactivity and health within the agency assured him it is not a concern.
“Those are the experts in state government who looked at this thing and were very sure at the time that it did not pose a threat,” said former DEP Secretary John Hanger.
Hanger said drinking water operators are already required to check for radioactivity, although not that frequently. He said doing more testing is the smart thing to do.
A DEP spokesperson said about 70 percent of waste water at gas well sites is recycled on-site. Some of the waste water goes to treatment plants for processing before being released in streams and rivers.
Mar 02, 2011
http://www.abc27.com/Global/story.asp?S=14175319