September 1st, 2009
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
One of my pet complaints is finally being addressed, at least partly. Living here in the Barnett Shale region of Texas, where drilling for natural gas is making Swiss cheese of the ground beneath, say, my house, I’ve been sensitive to these reports that link fracturing chemicals to groundwater contamination.
To be fair, natural gas advocates point out that the crevices they’re tapping are typically not at the same level as groundwater; they’re much farther below the surface. Still, that means they’re drilling through potential groundwater territory. And it doesn’t explain away the numerous reports around the country of water contaminated with chemicals used in the fracturing process.
Call me suspicious, or call me a reader of Pro Publica which has been cracking open this story, but these matters worry me. (See the latest story from Pro Publica here. It’s about how gas drilling could be the culprit in contaminated Wyoming water wells being investigated by the EPA. The EPA jumped on this problem a few years after residents in the tiny town of Pavillion complained that “their water wells turned sour and reeked of fuel vapors shortly after drilling took place nearby,” according to Pro Publica. Hmmmm. I smell a problem.)
But I digress. What’s happening now is that Congress may soon ask for more disclosure from gas companies, requiring them to reveal the chemicals being used in the hydraulic fracturing process. If passed, the companies would have to itemize what’s in those fluids they’re injecting beneath the earth to split the rock (which releases gas stores).
The Natural Resources Defense Council supports this potential repeal of the “Halliburton Loophole,” as it’s known because this 2005 exemption to the Safe Drinking Water Act allowed Halliburton to keep its fracturing formula secret.
The NRDC is asking supporters of disclosure to contact their lawmakers about these pending bills:
House of Representatives’ Bill 2766 and Senate Bill 1215.
For more info on areas where natural gas drilling has contaminated water and threatened property see the NRDC blog by Amy Mall, a senior policy analyst with the group.
Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media
