Hydro-Fracturing (fracking) - Water Contamination

I have never heard about this way of drilling for natural gas.
Sounds to me like another way for corporations to poison our water.
Anyone here know anything about this type of drilling?


Check out this video. Apparently someone is making a movie about it.
Pay close attention around 2:22 in the video.



More Info:

The fracking process is radically different from traditional gas extraction. In many rock formations, the gas doesn't reside in easily-accessible reservoirs, but instead, lies trapped within small fissures in the rock layer. (See "B," above.) To free the gas, vast amounts of water (including various chemicals) are injected deep underground at extremely high pressure, thereby fracturing the rock (hence the term "fracking") and allowing the gas to escape. Sand injected along with the water helps to prop open the newly-created fissures (see "C," above) and the gas can then rise to the surface through the fracking fluid.

* Vast amounts of water are required. * Fracking uses various chemical lubricants, many of which are toxic. * The chemicals used in fracking are considered proprietary, and are therefore secret. * The water used in fracking poses a major disposal problem. * There have been over a thousand instances of groundwater contamination in areas near fracking sites. * Fracking has never been subject to an independent assessment of its environmental impact. * Fracking isn't subject to federal regulation. (This was done via an EPA exemption pushed through Congress by then Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2005.) * The full long-term environmental impact of fracking is unknown.

Source: www.frackaction.com...


[edit on 16-6-2010 by HrdCorHillbilly]

I don't know anything about the process, but the term "fracking" rates about an 8.7 on the "awesome-o-meter". "Oil and gas companies, fracking up the Earth for future generations". Sounds about right.

MSM is starting to pick up this story. CNN had a segment about it last night.

They use 500 different chemicals in the "fracking" process. The companies won't disclose what chemicals they are using.

Why would the Government allow companies to dump 500 unknown chemicals into the ground?

At least Wyoming has stepped up to the plate. Their trying to get companies to disclose the chemicals their using.

The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission voted unanimously two weeks ago to approve new rules that require oil and gas companies in the state to disclose the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing of underground formations during drilling.

Source: www.americanprogress.org...

I do believe Fracking refers to a method of keeping a well being pumped from collapsing, and as a method to open up fractures to access more oil.

There is a company in Roth OK. called Technisand. They make designer frac sands. This sand has a coating baked on. As I understand the sands coating is activated by different chemicals or hydrocarbons, and allows the sand to coat the inside of the fracture (think underground cave) to prevent collapse.

A little about the sand :www.halliburton.com...

Just watched Gas Land. I have never seen an industry destroy so much in such a short period of time. The US govt/Inc. seems to be content in treating it's citizens like any other third world ppl. Just letting any corporation destroy even their own homeland in the never ending steamroller of greed and profit. It's unbelievable. The US doesn't need terrorists to bomb it, the govt. is letting corporations destroy it from the inside, and paying them to do it lol.

Sad thing is this is getting the Go Ahead in Australia.

They've said it's been proven in the US, and now we have a "Coal Seam Gas Boom".
Same techniques i'm afraid... Very afraid.

It's estimated that 80% of the Coal Seam Gas extraction technique will be Fracking.
Fracking In Australia