gas shale drilling: community and environmental impacts in new york state
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8/14/2019 Gas Shale Drilling: Community and Environmental Impacts in New York State
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Gas ShaleRush: A Guide
to the LegalIssues
Community and EnvironmentalImpacts
Water Law Clinic FinalPresentation
November 30, 2009
Alexis Saba
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Expected Impacts- Noise- Air pollution- Road damage and traffic disruption
- Land conversion and visual impacts- High water use and aquifer depletion- Stress on wastewater treatment facilities
Unexpected Impacts
- Groundwater contamination- Surface water contamination- Careless operation procedure
Outline
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Expected Impacts
- Noise
- Air pollution
- Road damage and traffic disruption
- Land conversion and visual impacts
- High water use and aquifer depletion
- Stress on wastewater treatmentfacilities
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Noise
- 24 hours a day during thedrilling phase, about 4-5 weeks
- Multi-well pad may take 3 years
-Sources: Drilling rig operations Pipe handling Compressors
Operation of trucks,tractors and cement mixing
- 200-300 trucks traveling perday in some instances
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Air Pollution
DISH, TX air qualityinvestigation
- 2009 NOx and VOCemissions from allDallas-Fort Worth areaairports = 16.6 tons perday (tpd)
- Summer 2009 NOxand VOC emissions fromcompressor engines inthe Barnett Shale area= 65 tpd
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Road Damage
Denton, TXin the Barnett Shale
- About 592 one-way truck tripsper day per well
- Some weighing 100,000 lbs
NYS dSGEISEstimates
- 890-1340 truck trips for thelife of a well
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Regulations
- Municipalities caninfluence drilling byregulating local roads
- Road system integritystudy + fees formaintenance
- Road use agreement ortrucking plan, which caninclude:
Route selection Upgrades andimprovements Advance publicnotice
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Land Conversion
- Area cleared is around 5acres, or more for multi-wellpads
- Pipeline easements: ~ 30 wide for gatheringlines ~ 60 wide fortransmission lines
-Seismic lines 18-27 across
Run for miles 300-1200 apart
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Regulations
- Gathering line concerns: high environmental impact, little regulation
- NY Public Service Commission (PSC) regulates gathering lines
- PSC environmental review & communitynotification
- DEC controls Stream Disturbance Permit Article 15 permit
- Direct DEC regulation < 125 pounds per square inch (psig)pressure = siting in environmentally sensitive areas > 125 psig = permitting
- Municipalities generally preempted
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Visual Impacts
Drilling rigs: ~ 140 tall ~ 170 tall for multi-well pads
Other visual features:
Construction equipment Trucks Compressors Pipe racks Temporary work sheds Lined pits
Tank trucks holding fluids
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Visual Impacts contLong-term impacts:
Wellhead valves Meters A dehydrator A gas-water separator A brine tank
A small fire-suppression tank
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Water Use & Aquifer Depletion
- About 2.4 to 7.8 million gallons ofwater per treatment
- Dried up streams in PA
- Withdrawals in NY are unknown
Impacts of uncontrolled withdrawals: Reduced stream flow Degradation of aquatic habitat Ecosystem disruption Damage to wetlands Aquifer depletion
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Stress on
Wastewater Treatment Facilities
- Fracking wastewater can include: Brines Heavy metals Radionuclides Organics
- PA estimates: 19 million gallons ofwastewaterper dayin PA by 2011
- Trouble accommodating waste inNY
- Radioactive sludge?
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Regulations
- Municipal sewagetreatment facilities =publically ownedtreatment works(POTWs)
- Must have DEC-approvedpretreatmentprogram
- Must have a StatePollution DischargeElimination System(SPDES) permit
Other disposal methods
- Private wastewatertreatment facilities
- Disposal wells
- Out-of-stateindustrial treatmentplants
- Road spreading forbrine
- Reuse
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Unexpected Impacts
- Groundwater contamination
- Surface water contamination
- Careless operating procedure
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Groundwater Contamination
- Low probability ofcontamination?
- Aquifers in NY often within500 to 1500 of the shaleformation
- 3 million gallons of waterused produces about 15,000
gallons of chemicals in thewastewater
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Groundwater Contamination cont
Contamination can occur by:
Improper well construction and
casing
Pipe corrosion
Poor cementing
Improper disposal
Migration of fracking fluidbeyond the fracture zone
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Groundwater Contamination cont
Methane Migration in Pennsylvania
- Methane has beenfound in private water
wells
- Methane requireswater treatment andcan cause violentexplosions
- Full-time inspectorin PA
- Caused by poorcasing andcementing aroundthe well pipe
- Migrationindicates links
between gas wellsand watersystems
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Surface Water Contamination
- Cause by spills and careless operating
- Dunkard Creek die off
- High TDS levels point to drillingwastewater as cause
- Elevated TDS levels in theMonongahela River
- Reduction in wastewater at PAsewage treatment plants by 90-95%
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Careless Operating ProceduresThere are risks associated with . . . accidents every step of the way, from leakypumps and seals, to faulty well casings - Tom Wilber, Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
- PA Department of EnvironmentalPreservation (DEP) cease and
desist order to U.S. EnergyDevelopment Corporation
- Complaints in Wyoming
- Health problems in Colorado
- Exxon-Mobil Migratory Bird Treaty Actviolation
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Careless Operating Procedures cont
Leaks & Spills - Dimock, PA
- Sept. 16, 2009: Two lubricating fluid leaks
- Sept. 22, 2009: Third spill
- At least two diesel spills since 2008
- PADEP well deactivation and testing
- Sept. 25, 2009: PADEP orders Cabotto halt operations
- Oct. 16, 2009: Cabot resumes
operations
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Careless Operating Procedures cont
Coos County, OR
-Early 2009: MasTec Inc. ordered to pay $1.5million in penalties
- Oregon Department of Environmental Qualityfaulted as well
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Regulations
Closing and Plugging Drill Sites
- DEC issues pluggingpermit
- DEC inspector present atplugging
- Detailed pluggingrequirements:
Cement plugs
Fill for intervalbetween plugs
- Companies providefinancial security
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Regulations
Recent Legislative Developments
SDWA & 2005 Energy Act
- Underground Injection Control (UIC) program
- 2005 Energy Act amendment to SDWA exempt hydraulic fracturing from
definition of underground injection and UIC program
- Underground storage of flowback fracking fluid = notexempt
FRAC Act
- Senate and House versions both in committee
- Repeals hydrofracking exemption
Interior Environment Appropriations Bill
- EPA to fund study on fracking and drinking water
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