Drilling Boom Tied to Spike in Utah Air Pollution

Hydraulic fracturing is becoming more common in Utah’s Uinta Basin. According to one report issued by the governor’s office detailing the possible economic impact of oil and gas drilling in the Uinta Basin, its 2006 crude oil production of 11.4 million barrels was a 55 percent increase over a recent low of 7.3 million barrels in 2002. Natural gas production in the area has steadily increased over the past 10 years and reached an all-time high of 226 BCF in 2006. The rise in production has brought an economic boom to the Uinta Basin.

But that boom may be costing the Uinta Basin a great deal when it comes to air pollution. According to a New York Times report, in 2010 federal regulators discovered an unusual winter weather pattern in the Uinta Basin that caused ozone concentrations to reach potentially dangerous levels in January, February and March. Air monitors installed in the Uinta Basin measured ozone concentrations exceeding federal health standards more than 68 times in the first three months of 2010, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The problem was equal to the worst summertime ozone tracked by the EPA in San Bernardino, California, the most polluted place in the U.S.

The air pollution problem didn’t go away the following year. In the first six months of 2011, the monitors in Uinta Basin recorded more than a dozen violations of the federal ground-level ozone standard.

Ground-level ozone pollution is linked to health problems like asthma. It’s generally at its worst in summer, and is most likely to occur in places with a great deal of industrial development.

In October 2010, the Utah Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) identifying hundreds of existing oil and gas wells in the basin as the primary cause of the ozone pollution, according to The New York Times.

According to a report from the Salt Lake City Tribune, the air pollution situation has residents of the basin concerned. Many are worried that state and local leaders are so focused on protecting the oil and gas industry from additional regulation that they are overlooking public health. While local leaders acknowledge the ground level ozone poses a health threat, they also insist more time is needed to determine the best way to address it.

While a study has been launched to get to the bottom of the ozone problem, it will be years before it yields any solutions. Some critics of the oil and gas industry insist, however, that air pollution in the basin should be addressed now, by reducing industry emissions.

“We know for certain that oil and gas development involves the precursors,” David Garbett, an attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, told the Tribune. “A reasonable mind would think this (industry) is one of the first things we should think of.”

Have you ever experienced water so toxic coming out of a faucet that you could set it alight? As a result of hydraulic fracturing, homeowners in Pennsylvania have experienced just that. These are risks to which, until recently, New York has turned a blind eye.

New York municipalities, such as Buffalo, have now taken it upon themselves to ban the practice within their borders. While this is largely symbolic move, it sends a powerful message to Albany – that the state must heed the hazards of “hydrofracking” and take aggressive steps to protect the state’s most precious resource – drinking water.

Governor Cuomo must make a bold departure from the tepid regulatory efforts of the previous administration. Recently, outgoing-Governor Paterson imposed a 7-month moratorium on the practice, vetoing a broader bill passed by the state legislature, however, this so-called anti-fracking win largely rung hollow.

While Paterson’s executive order acknowledges the environmental and health threats posed by “fracking,” it fails to truly mitigate them. In fact, the moratorium leaves open a major loophole for the powerful oil and gas industry to continue prepping for future fracking – and with a new Governor at the helm, prep they will.

The current moratorium only applies to horizontal wells – not vertical shale wells – which means companies can continue drilling deep into the mile-deep rock formations without interference. Come summer, when the ban expires, they will be poised to pump an undisclosed cocktail of chemicals into the ground in pursuit of natural gas below the surface.

Under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 2005, hydraulic fracturing is exempt from federal regulation that requires drillers to disclose what substances they inject into the ground. A recent study identified at least 65 probable chemicals in the fluids used by shale gas drillers; they include benzene, glycol-ethers, toluene, 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethanol, and nonylphenols, all of which are toxic to humans at high levels.

Residents of New York’s southern tier have experienced the dangers of toxic drinking water first hand and have reported foul smells in their tap water. In some instances, gas well pipes have broken, resulting in leakage of contaminants into the surrounding ground and allegedly poisoning the water supply.

The small town of Dimock, Pennsylvania was ecologically devastated after Cabot Oil and Gas drilled dozens of wells in the area. Faulty cement casing was the suspected cause of the contaminated local water wells, which, in turn, drove down property prices and caused residents to get sick from exposure to methane and other chemicals. State environmental regulators eventually fined the company and ordered the permanent shutdown of three wells, but the damage cannot be undone.

Unfortunately, there are towns similar to Dimock who have found themselves in the same situation. The Pennsylvania Land and Trust Association reports 1,435 violations by 43 Marcellus Shale drilling companies over the past two years. Of those, 952 were identified as having a likely impact on the environment.

These problems are preventable. Our government must take notice of the serious effects fracking can have on both our health, and our environment. Every precaution must be taken in order to insure that these issues will not be issues we, and or families, have to contend with.

New leadership in Albany has the opportunity take note of these issues and to make the necessary changes to ensure our safety, which could result in a total hydraulic fracturing ban. If you have been affected by fracking or water contamination, you may be eligible for compensation. Our experienced personal injury lawyers are here to help; simply fill in the free case evaluation form today.

New York Gov. David Patterson issued an executive order in mid-December that extends a ban on hydraulic fracturing until July 1, 2011 while also vetoing a separate bill banning the technique in the state until its effects can be more thoroughly studied.

In November, the New York State Assembly passed legislation that would have banned any fracking until May 15, 2011. At the same time, legislators suspended the issuance of additional permits for the natural gas drilling method in the state.

In his veto, Governor Patterson appeared to be distinguishing between vertical wells and new “horizontal drilling” techniques. Patterson’s order restricts the number of permits that can be issued for the newer, horizontal drilling process.

Patterson’s move is the latest in a series of state actions in the Northeast that addresses fracking. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees the Delaware River watershed running through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, drafted regulations that would govern the drilling. Its rules particularly took aim at the disposal of wastewater used in the drilling.

Another continual area of concern in hydraulic fracturing lies in the fact that drillers don’t currently have to detail which chemicals are used to break up the shale holding the natural gas. U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told The New York Times last month that he is considering new rules that would force companies to disclose a list of those chemicals.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is also conducting a two-year review of fracking and its potential impact on ground water.

According to a new poll in the New York Times, more than half of Americans surveyed are now knowledgeable about the Hydraulic Fracturing method of natural gas drilling and many are raising concerns over the regulation of the process.

The poll of 1,012 people, which was conducted for the Civil Society Institute, found that 57 percent of respondents have at least some awareness of the drilling process. Of those surveyed, 69 percent raised concern over fracking’s impact on water quality.

Interestingly, concern over fracking was prevalent among members of both major political parties, with 57 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of independents and 86 percent of Democrats raising issues.

According to the survey, 19 percent of respondents consider themselves “very aware” of fracking; 25 percent “somewhat aware” and 13 percent “not very aware.” Of those who considered themselves either “very/somewhat” aware of fracking, 49 percent identify as Republicans, 47 percent as independents and 39 percent as Democrats.

Pollsters with Infogroup/Opinion Research Corp, which conducted the survey for the institute, also did a more thorough examination of residents in Pennsylvania and New York, who are situated near the Marcellus Shale where drilling is most common. In that survey, half of residents were either “very aware” (22 percent) or “somewhat aware” (28 percent) of fracking’s potential impact on water supplies.  In contrast, New York City residents were less in tune with the issue, with 53 percent “unaware” of fracking, compared to 16 percent “very aware”  or 22 percent “somewhat aware.”

The current natural gas boom in the U.S is producing two things: enough natural gas to power the U.S. for more than a decade, and enough toxic wastewater to threaten public health forever.

The Associated Press reports that most states require natural gas drilling companies to bore at least two miles underground to dispose wastewater, making it difficult for drinking water to become contaminated. Pennsylvania, one of the states that sit on top of the Marcellus Shale, a large underground rock formation where trillions of cubic feet of natural gas is located, is the only state that allows natural gas companies to dispose wastewater into rivers and streams. Pouring waste into rivers could lead to toxic drinking water.

Researchers are testing Pennsylvania’s river discharges to determine if the water is hazardous to humans, wildlife and the environment.