Trashing the planet for natural gas: Shale gas development threatens freshwater sources, likely escalates climate destabilization

Capitalism, Nature, Socialism

Volumn 21, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 72-82

  Charman, Karen ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ENERGY POLICY; ENERGY RESOURCE; FOSSIL FUEL; GREENHOUSE GAS; NATURAL GAS; SHALE;

UNITED STATES;

EID: 78649526034     PISSN: 10455752     EISSN: 15483290     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/10455752.2010.531929     Document Type: Article

References (77)

1. 2 emissions between 2007 and 2035.
2. Also see Todd Woody, "Fossil Fuel Use in 2034? Not Much Different", The New York Times, January 16, 2010;
3. and S. Ansolabehere, et al., "The Future of Nuclear Power: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study", Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003.
4. See Daniel Tanuro, "Marxism, Energy, and Ecology: The Moment of Truth", Capitalism Nature Socialism, Vol. 21, No. 4, December 2010, p. 90.
5. See for example, Margot Roosevelt, "Billionaire Koch Brothers Back Suspension of California Climate Law", Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2010, online at: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/09/ kochbrothers-global-warming-prop-23-climate-change.html;
6. James Hogan and Richard Littlemore, Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming (Edmond, OK: Greystone Press, 2009);
7. Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming (London: Bloomsbury Press, 2010);
8. Ross Gelbspan, The Heat is On: The Climate Crisis, The Cover-up, The Prescription, Updated edition (Reading, MA: Perseus Books, 1997/1998);
9. Fred Pearce, With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change (Boston: Beacon Press, 2007).
10. See, for example: Doug Koplow, Cynthia Lin, Anna Jung, Michael Thone, and Lucky Lontoh, "Untold Billions: Fossil-Fuel Subsidies, Their Impacts, and The Path to Reform", The Global Subsidies Initiative of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Geneva, August 2010.
11. For a discussion of natural gas subsidies in the U. S., see: "Hancock & the Marcellus Shale: Visioning the Impacts of Natural Gas Extraction Along the Upper Delaware", a report by the Columbia University Urban Design Research Seminar, Spring 2009, pp. 30-31.
12. See: http://nat.com/map-shale-gas-around-the-globe.htm.
13. Velio A. Kuusdraa and Scott H. Stevens, "Worldwide Gas Shales and Unconventional Gas: A Status Report", Advanced Resources International, Inc., December 7, 2009.
14. Velio A. Kuusdraa and Scott H. Stevens, "Worldwide Gas Shales and Unconventional Gas: A Status Report", Advanced Resources International, Inc., December 7, 2009.
15. and Peter Staas, "The Future of Shale Gas is International", Investing Daily, July 11, 2010, online at: http://www.investingdaily.com/tes/ 17542/the-future-of-shale-gas-is-international.html.
16. Mark Zoback, Saya Kitasei, and Brad Copithorne, "Addressing the Environmental Risks from Shale Gas Development", Briefing Paper 1, Natural Gas and Sustainable Energy Initiative, Worldwatch Institute, July 2010, p. 2.
17. 2 per million joules of energy compared to 18.6 for gasoline, 18.9 for diesel fuel, and 24.0 for bituminous coal.
18. Robert W. Howarth, "Preliminary Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Natural Gas Obtained by Hydraulic Fracturing", Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, April 1, 2010 draft.
19. See, for example: http://geology.com/news/2010/worldwide-shale-gas- assessment.shtml.
20. See http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/background.html.
21. See, for example, Sandra Postel, Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity (New York and London: W. W. Norton and Co./Worldwatch, 1992, 1997);
22. Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke, Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water (New York and London: The New Press, 2002);
23. and Marc Reiser, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water (New York: Viking Penguin, 1986).
24. Tawna Mertz, "New York City Depends on Natural Water Filtration", in "Nature's Services", Rand Corporation report, n. d., online at: http://www.rand.org/scitech/stpi/ourfuture/NaturesServices/secl- watershed.html, accessed September 20, 2010.
25. See "New York's Water System", New York City Department of Environmental Protection", online at: http://www.nyc.gov/htm.l/dep/htrnl/ news/a-watershed-rnoment-restoration.shtml, accessed September 20, 2010.
26. Ten percent of New York City's water comes from the Croton system east of the Hudson River and is now filtered. "New York City Watershed and Drinking Water", New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Environmental Issues fact sheet, n. d., online at: http://www.nylcveforg/guide/ new-york-city-watershed-and-drinking-water.
27. "NYC to Acquire 1, 323 Acres of Land for Watershed Protection", press release, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, August 25, 2010, online at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/press-releases/10-83pr.shtml.
28. The Marcellus stretches from New York south and west through much of Pennsylvania into the eastern third of Ohio, and down through western Maryland into most of West Virginia. A sliver runs along most of Virginia's western border. It encompasses a tiny portion of Kentucky at its easternmost point, and a very thin finger reaches into eastern Tennessee. See Nat Gillespie, Map, "Marcellus Shale Formation", in Morgan Lyle, "Fractured Landscape: The Appalachians' Energy Development Rush, Trout, Winter 2009, p. 37.
29. For New York's portion of the Marcellus, see http://www.dec.ny.gov/ energy/46381.html.
30. Penn State University geoscientist Terry Engelder, who made the estimate, quoted in "Unconventional Natural Gas Reservoir Could Boost U. S. Supply", PennState Live, January 17, 2008, online at: http://live.psu.edu/ story/28116, accessed September 21, 2010.
31. "Hancock & the Marcellus Shale", Spring 2009, p. 2.
32. See http://geology.com/articles/marcellus-leases-royalties.shtml.
33. James L. Northrup, "Potential Leaks from Hydro-Fracking of Shale", comments to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, September 8, 2010. Northrup is former planning manager with Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) and owner of onshore and offshore drilling rigs.
34. James L. Northrup, "Potential Leaks from Hydro-Fracking of Shale", comments to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, September 8, 2010. Northrup is former planning manager with Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) and owner of onshore and offshore drilling rigs. Northrup notes that the pressure is powerful enough to produce earthquakes. As an example, he cites one registering 2.8 on the Richter Scale on June 2, 2009 in Cleburne, Texas in the heart of drilling operations in the Barnett Shale. Prior to this event, earthquakes had never been recorded in that area.
35. James L. Northrup, "Potential Leaks from Hydro-Fracking of Shale", comments to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, September 8, 2010. Northrup is former planning manager with Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) and owner of onshore and offshore drilling rigs. Northrup notes that the pressure is powerful enough to produce earthquakes. As an example, he cites one registering 2.8 on the Richter Scale on June 2, 2009 in Cleburne, Texas in the heart of drilling operations in the Barnett Shale. Prior to this event, earthquakes had never been recorded in that area.
36. Abrahm Lustgarten and ProPublica, "Natural Gas Drilling Produces Radioactive Wastewater", Scientific American, November 9, 2009, online at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id - marcellus-shalenatural-gas- drilling-radioactive-wastewater, accessed September 22, 2010.
37. Phillips Energy Partners, "Currently Targeted Areas: Marcellus Shale", online at: http://phillips energypartners.com/buying-mineral- rights/marcellus-shale/, accessed September 27, 2010.
38. Northrup, "Potential Leaks from Hydro-F racking Shale", September 8, 2010.
39. The number of wells increased from 200 in 2000 to more than 1, 300 in 2008, and there are plans for a total of 7, 000. Geoffrey Thyne, "Review of Phase II Hydrogeologic Study, Prepared for Garfield County", December 20, 2009, p. 5, online at: http://www.garfield-county.com/Index.aspx?page=1143.
40. Northrup, "Potential Leaks from Hydro-F racking Shale", September, 8, 2010
41. and Thyne, "Review of Phase II Hydrogeologic Study, Prepared for Garfield County", December 20, 2009.
42. Theo Colborn, quoted in "World-Renowned Scientist Dr. Theo Colborn on the Health Effects of Water Contamination from Fracking", Democracy Now!, April 14, 2010, online at: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/l4/world- renowned-scientist-dr-theo-colborn, accessed September 21, 2010.
43. The categories of chemicals include acids, biocides, breakers, clay stabilizers, corrosion inhibitors, crosslinkers, defoamers, emulsifiers, foamers, friction reducers, gellants, non-emulsifiers, polymers, pseudo-polymers, proppants, resins, solvents, surfactants, viscosifiers, and others that control fluid loss, iron, pH, and scale. See "Products and Chemicals Used in Fracturing", TEDX, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, February 2009, online at: http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/chemicals. fracturing.php (link by "summary of the products and chemicals used to fracture natural gas wells (PDF)", accessed September 21, 2010.
44. "Products and Chemicals Used in Fracturing", February 2009. Nine percent disclosed none. Less than 50 percent of the ingredients were disclosed in 24 percent of the products, 23 percent of the products listed 51-95 percent of its contents, and only 5 percent disclosed all ingredients. Even actual samples of contaminated soil and water from areas where accidents occurred won't provide a complete list of contaminants, since they don't come with labels, and unless a specific chemical is tested, it won't be found.
45. Abrahm Lustgarten and ProPublica, "Drill for Natural Gas, Pollute Water: The Natural Gas Industry Refuses to Reveal What is in the Mixture of Chemicals Used to Drill for the Fossil Fuel", Scientific American, November 17, 2008, online at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id - drill-for-natural-gas-pollute-water, accessed September 27, 2010.
46. Abrahm Lustgarten and ProPublica, "Drill for Natural Gas, Pollute Water: The Natural Gas Industry Refuses to Reveal What is in the Mixture of Chemicals Used to Drill for the Fossil Fuel", Scientific American, November 17, 2008, online at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id - drill-for-natural-gas-pollute-water, accessed September 27, 2010.
47. Sandy Long, "What's in that Fracking Fluid? Pennsylvania Discloses the Chemicals Used by the Drilling Companies", The River Reporter, Vol. 34, No. 39, December 4-1-, 2009, online at: http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/08- 12-04/news-fracking.html, accessed September 21, 2010.
48. Sandy Long, "What's in that Fracking Fluid? Pennsylvania Discloses the Chemicals Used by the Drilling Companies", The River Reporter, Vol. 34, No. 39, December 4-1-, 2009, online at: http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/08- 12-04/news-fracking.html, accessed September 21, 2010. Though drilling for shale gas has now been taking place for approximately ten years, it's only in the last two years that calls for monitoring the environmental and health impacts have gained any traction. Thus far, there is very little hard scientific data on the environmental impacts. The multiple award-winning documentary, Gotland, investigated the effects of shale gas drilling around the U. S. and has been instrumental in raising awareness about the environmental contamination and plight of people who live in drilling areas.
49. "Hancock & the Marcellus Shale", Spring 2009, p. 10.
50. "Hancock & the Marcellus Shale", Spring 2009, p. 10.
51. Abrahm Lustgarten, "Setting the Record Straight on Hydraulic Fracturing", ProPublica, January 20, 2009, online at: http://www. propublica.org/article/setting-the-record-straight-on-hydraulic-fracturing- 090112, accessed September 22, 2010.
52. See for example, Michael Rubinkam (Associated Press), "Wells Near Gas Drilling Found Tainted", The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 17, 2010, online at: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20100917-Wells-near-gas- drilling-found-tainted.html, accessed September 22, 2010;
53. Sabrina Shenkman, "Gas Drillers Plead Guilty to Felony Dumping Violations, ProPublica, February 22, 2010, online at: http://www.propublica.org/ article/gas-drillers-plead-guilty-to-felony-dumping-violations, accessed September 22, 2010;
54. Abrahm Lustgarten, "Pennsylvania Orders Cabot Oil and Gas to Stop Fracturing in Troubled County", ProPublica, September 25, 2009, online at: http://www.propublica.org/article/pennsylvania-orderscabot-to-stop-fracturing- in-troubled-county-925, accessed September 22, 2010.
55. Abrahm Lustgarten, "Is New York's Marcellus Shale Too Hot to Handle?", ProPublica, November 9, 2009, online at: http://www.propublica. org/article/is-the-marcellus-shale-too-hot-to-handle-1109, accessed October 7, 2010.
56. Abrahm Lustgarten, "Officials in Three States Pin Water Woes on Gas Drilling", ProPublica, April 26, 2009, online at: http://www.propublica. org/article/officials-in-three-states-pin-water-woes-on-gas-clrilling-426, accessed October 7, 2010.
57. Using a statistical calculation, Penn State University Professor of Geosciences Terry Engelder in 2009 estimated there was a 50 percent probability that the Marcellus will yield 489 trillion cubic feet of gas over its lifetime. This is down from his 2008 estimate with SUNY Fredonia geologist Gary Lash of 516 trillion cubic feet. See: Terry Engelder, "Marcellus Shale Gas Play", Geosciences Newsletter 2009, Department of Geosciences, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, PennState, 2009, p. 12.
58. Author telephone interview with Anthony Ingraffea, September 21, 2010.
59. "Hancock and the Marcellus Shale", Spring 2009, pp. 30-31.
60. "Hancock and the Marcellus Shale", Spring 2009, pp. 30-31.
61. "Hancock and the Marcellus Shale", Spring 2009, p. 30.
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63. "Hancock and the Marcellus Shale", Spring 2009, p. 31.
64. "Hancock and the Marcellus Shale", Spring 2009, p. 31.
65. "Hancock and the Marcellus Shale", Spring 2009, p. 31.
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67. Staas, "The Future of Shale Gas is International", July 11, 2010.
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70. Robert W. Howarth, "Preliminary Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Natural Gas Obtained by Hydraulic Fracturing", April 1, 2010 (draft);
71. and Robert W. Howarth, "Statement for the EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Public Informational Meeting", Binghamton, NY, September 15, 2010.
72. and Robert W. Howarth, "Statement for the EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Public Informational Meeting", Binghamton, NY, September 15, 2010.
73. 2 per million joules of energy for diesel and gasoline. As shale gas and other fossil fuel sources become more difficult to extract, he says both the energy required and the emissions will increase significantly.
74. 2"
75. Howarth, "Statement for the EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Public Informational Meeting", September 15, 2010.
76. Howarth, "Statement for the EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Public Informational Meeting", September 15, 2010.
77. Mark Z. Jacobson and Mark A. Delucchi, "A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030", Scientific American, November 2009, pp. 58-65.