Dr. Sanjoy BanerjeeDirector, CUNY Energy Institutebanerjee@che.ccny.cuny.eduApril 8, 2011

Natural gas supplies 22% of US energy demand and 40% of electricity production

US has 1744 tcf recoverable natural gas, enough for 100 years

Lower 48 states have gas reserves in clay-like rock formations

Horizontal drilling allows 1 well-pad to access the same reservoir volume as 16 vertical wells

Hydro fracking involves pumping of high pressure liquid into shale to generate cracks in the rock formation and release natural gas

Fracking liquids contain sand, water, and unknown chemicals

Cement and casing are installed to protect groundwater supplies

Natural gas in the Marcellus Shale provides opportunity for huge economic development

Lack of appropriate safeguards and regulation led to environmental damage and erosion of public trust

Research is needed to develop risk-balanced regulations

Fracking liquids are reported to be 98% water and sand, but their composition is unregulated and unknown to the public

Up to 65-80% of fracking liquids are not recovered from drilling operations and are unaccounted for in current simulations

Ability of cement and casings to prevent seepage is unknown

It is unknown whether fracking liquids contaminate groundwater supplies decades after wells are abandoned

There is currently no model that aggregates gas emissions from multiple sites, and companies are not required to report the totals

NOx and SO2 and organic content of natural gas varies by location, creating different air quality management needs.

The composition of waste water is currently unknown, which makes treatment difficult

Waste water contamination by organic compounds and radioactive materials is neither tracked nor regulated

Above-ground methods for water storage must be tested to prevent runoff and leaking

Small-scale sampling at multiple drill sites to learn specific geology and improve simulations

Advanced computer simulations of waste water and fracking liquid motion over time

Assessment of total airborne emissionsMaterials testing of cement, casing, fracking

liquids, and recovered waste waterAnalysis and development of fracking liquids

that can be easily and economically treated

Risk assessment research will help guide future regulations and appropriate severance

taxes for the shale gas industry.