No Fracking Way: The Natural Gas Boom is Doing More Harm Than Good

• Volume 62, Presented On: July 01, 2012
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From the Panel

• FOR: Deborah Goldberg

• Natural Gas: The Inside Story
  Earthjustice September 2011
  In a virtual briefing, Goldberg spoke about the United States' natural gas boom, its impacts on the environment and our communities, and Earthjustice's campaign to clean up and regulate the natural gas industry.
  
• The Perils and Promise of Fracking
  Panel Discussion, ProPublica April 9, 2012 Deborah Goldberg participates in a panel discussing whether the fracking process is the answer to America’s energy needs, or whether we should slow down and learn more about the potential environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing. 
• Fracking Gone Wrong: Finding a Better Way
  Earthjustice’s Fracking Campaign May 4, 2012 Fracking is a dangerous way of getting oil and gas and a shortsighted energy strategy. We can find a better way—one that protects our health and gives us clean, safe energy sources that never run out.

• FOR: Katherine Hudson

• Q&A with Kate Hudson of Riverkeeper
  WGXC: Hands-On Radio April 7, 2011 Kate Hudson’s Q&A after a community screening of the Academy Award nominated documentary Gasland, sponsored by Frack Free Catskills.
• Testimony of: Katherine Hudson, Watershed Program Director, Riverkeeper, Inc.
  State Democratic Conference, Public Forum on Hydraulic Fracturing April 25, 2012 Hudson discusses the need for 1) a health impact assessment, 2) closure of a regulatory loophole that currently excludes the gas industry from hazardous waste requirements, 3) clarification of municipal home rule authority, and 4) a moratorium on the issuance of high-volume hydrofracking permits.
• New York’s Rush to Frack
  Kate Hudson, Riverkeeper PowerPoint presentation.
• Riverkeeper Fracking News

• AGAINST: Joe Nocera

• How to Extract Gas Responsibly
  Joe Nocera, New York Times February 27, 2012 Fracking isn’t going away. To put it another way, the technique of hydraulic fracturing, used to extract natural gas from once-impossible-to-get-at reservoirs like the Marcellus Shale that lies beneath New York and Pennsylvania, has more than proved its value.
• Pass the Boone Pickens Bill
  Joe Nocera, New York Times April 11, 2011 Natural gas is cheaper than oil. It’s cleaner. And it’s ours.
• About My Support for Natural Gas
  Joe Nocera, New York Times April 15, 2011 Some readers of The New York Times are unimpressed with the idea of substituting natural gas for imported oil, even though such a move would help wean the country from its dependence on OPEC.
• Articles by Joe Nocera
  New York Times More articles from Joe Nocera in The New York Times.

• AGAINST: Susan Tierney

• Natural Gas: The Promise and the Potential Pitfalls
  Susan Tierney, Analysis Group Energy Bulletin Spring 2011 The biggest surprise story in the energy industry these days isn't the plummeting price of solar panels, the proliferation of wind farms on the prairies, or even the new transmission line proposed by Google and others off the shores of the mid-Atlantic states. It is shale gas – a vast, relatively clean energy resource located in geographic basins in many parts of the U.S.
• Natural Gas: Risks and Opportunities
  Susan Tierney, Analysis Group October 26, 2011 A PowerPoint presentation on natural gas, with an emphasis on shale gas developments, for the Harvard University Center for Environment Future of Energy Series.
• America’s Bright Future: Cleaner Air and Affordable, Reliable Electricity
  Susan Tierney, Analysis Group May 23, 2012 The nation’s electricity system is undergoing a transition to a cleaner, modern and more efficient fleet, with retirements of many 50+-year-old coal-fired plants that have not been upgraded with modern pollution control equipment. 
• The Economic Impacts of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative on Ten Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States
  Susan Tierney, et al, Analysis Group Analysis Group’s study of the 10-state regional greenhouse gas initiative (RGGI), an emissions control program.

Related Articles

• ProPublica’s Fracking Coverage

• ProPublica
  Multiple Authors, ProPublica Since 2008 ProPublica has provided award-winning coverage of natural gas drilling.
  New Study Predicts Frack fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years
  Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica May 1, 2012 A new study has raised fresh concerns about the safety of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, concluding that fracking chemicals injected into the ground could migrate toward drinking water supplies far more quickly than experts have previously predicted.
• The Best Watchdog Journalism on Fracking
  Blair Hickman and Cora Currier, ProPublica April 6, 2012 A collection of some of the can’t-miss watchdog journalism on fracking.

• New York Times Coverage

• Drilling Down
  Multiple Authors, New York Times October 26, 2011 Articles in the Drilling Down series from The New York Times examine the risks of natural gas drilling and efforts to regulate this rapidly growing industry.

• Earthworks

• Hydraulic Fracturing 101
  Earthworks October 26, 2011 Earthworks believes the process of fracturing a well is far from benign. Hydraulic Fracturing 101 provides an overview of some of the issues and impacts related to this well stimulation technique.
• Hydraulic Fracturing Myths and Facts
  Jennifer Goldman, Earthworks April 23, 2009 Dispelling myths and exposing the health and environmental risks of hydraulic fracturing.
  GASLAND
• Gasland
  Josh Fox, Director October 26, 2011 The website for the Sundance award-winning documentary Gasland. Filmmaker Josh Fox exposes the hazards of domestic natural gas drilling.
  Debunking Gasland
  Energy in Depth June 8, 2010 Energy in Depth identifies inaccuracies in the film Gasland.
  Affirming Gasland
  Josh Fox, Director, Gasland July 2010 A de-debunking document responding to gas industry claims against the film.

• NRDC

• The Role of Natural Gas in America’s Energy Mix
  Energy Facts, NRDC March 13, 2012 (Revised) As we work to increase renewable and more efficient energy, more damaging energy sources—including fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas—will continue to play a role in our energy mix. Sound policies must be in place to make certain that natural gas is used to replace coal and minimize methane emissions and does not displace investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
• In Fracking’s Wake: New Rules Are Needed to Protect Our Health and Environment from Contaminated Wastewater
  Rebecca Hammer, Jeanne VanBriesen, NRDC Document May 2012 This report combines an evaluation of federal and state laws regulating fracking wastewater with a thorough review, compiled for NRDC by an independent scientist, of the health and environmental risks posed by this high-volume waste stream and the currently available treatment and disposal methods. It finds that the currently available options are inadequate to protect human health and the environment, but that stronger safeguards at the state and federal levels could better protect against the risks associated with this waste.

• Obama Administration

• The Obama Energy Agenda: Gas Prices Domestic oil and natural gas production has increased every year President Obama has been in office. In 2011, American oil production reached the highest level in nearly a decade and natural gas production reached an all-time high.
• Obama Administration Record on an All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy The President is committed to an all-of-the-above strategy that expands production of American energy resources, like oil and natural gas; increases energy efficiency to save families and businesses money at the pump; and develops cleaner, alternative fuels to reduce our oil dependence.
• Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future
  The White House March 30, 2011 The President’s three-part energy strategy: develop and secure America’s energy supplies, provide consumers with choices to reduce costs and save energy, and innovate our way to a clean energy future.
  Shale Gas Production Subcommittee Second Ninety Day Report
  Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (panelist Susan Tierney, member), U.S. Department of Energy November 18, 2011 As part of the President’s Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future, a comprehensive plan to reduce America’s oil dependence, save consumers money, and make our country a leader in clean energy industries, the Subcommittee has made recommendations to improve the safety and environmental performance of natural gas hydraulic fracturing from shale formations.

• U.S. Energy Information Administration

• Energy in Brief: What Is Shale Gas and Why Is It Important?
  U.S. Energy Information Administration April 11, 2012 (Updated) Shale gas refers to natural gas that is trapped within shale formations. Shales are fine-grained sedimentary rocks that can be rich sources of petroleum and natural gas. The production of natural gas from shale formations has rejuvenated the natural gas industry in the U.S.
  Total Energy
  U.S. Energy Information Administration Primary energy consumption by source and sector, 2010.
• FAQs: How Much Natural Gas Is Consumed (Used) in the U.S.?
  U.S. Energy Information Administration March 1, 2012 (Updated) In 2011, the United States consumed approximately 24.37 Tcf (trillion cubic feet) of natural gas in seven end-uses. Electric power generation: 7.60 Tcf (31%), Industrial: 6.77 Tcf (28%), Residential: 4.73 Tcf (19%), Commercial: 3.16 Tcf (13%), Lease and plant fuel consumption: 1.38 Tcf (6%), Pipeline and distribution: 0.69 Bcf (3%), Vehicle fuel: 0.03 Bcf (<1%).
  Natural Gas Explained: How Much Natural Gas Is Left
  U.S. Energy Information Administration February 6, 2012 According to the EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2011, the United States possesses 2,543 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of potential natural gas resources. Natural gas from shale resources, considered uneconomical just a few years ago, accounts for 862 Tcf of this resource estimate. At the 2010 rate of U.S. consumption (about 24.1 Tcf per year), 2,543 Tcf of natural gas is enough to supply over 100 years of use.
  Natural Gas
  U.S. Energy Information Administration March 30, 2011 EIA overview of natural gas in the U.S.
• New Report by Agency Lowers Estimates of Natural Gas in U.S.
  Ian Urbina, New York Times January 28, 2012 The difficulty and uncertainty in predicting natural gas resources was underscored last week when the Energy Information Administration released a report containing sharply lower estimates.
  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
  
  Plan to Study the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency November 2011 At the request of Congress, EPA is conducting a study to better understand any potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water and ground water.
• Natural Gas Extraction – Hydraulic Fracturing
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency March 30, 2011 The EPA’s work on hydraulic fracturing.
• Does Fracking Cause Pollution? It Might, Environmental Protection Agency Says
  AP December 9, 2011 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced for the first time that fracking might be to blame for causing groundwater pollution.
• EPA Backpedals on Fracking Contamination
  Daniel Gilbert and Russell Gold, Wall Street Journal April 1, 2012 The Environmental Protection Agency has dropped its claim that an energy company contaminated drinking water in Texas, the third time in recent months that the agency has backtracked on high-profile local allegations linking natural-gas drilling and water pollution.

• Gas Industry Resources

• Shale Energy: 10 Points Everyone Should Know
  American Petroleum Institute Hydraulic fracturing will account for nearly 70 percent of natural gas development in the future. Find out more in this Q&A from the American Petroleum Institute.
• Overview of Industry Guidance/Best Practices on Hydraulic Fracturing
  American Petroleum Institute March 30, 2011 A listing of the American Petroleum Institute’s documents on the industry’s best practice work.
• Identifying Key Economic Impacts of Recent Increases in U.S. Natural Gas Production
  Energy Analysis, American Gas Association May 22, 2012 The recent success of shale gas and oil production in the United States coupled with only modest demand growth has resulted in measurable declines in domestic natural gas prices, which has benefitted both gas customers as well as the overall economy.
• Production Processes
  Marcellus Shale Coalition Click through the menu in the left-hand column to read about the natural gas production processes.

• Frac Focus

• Frac Focus
  The White House March 30, 2011 FracFocus is the hydraulic fracturing chemical registry website. This website is a joint project of the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. On this site you can search for information about the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells. You can also find links to regulations by state and search for well information by state.

• Studies & Reports

• Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas Pollutes Water Wells
  David Biello, Scientific American May 9, 2011 "Methane concentrations in drinking water were much higher if the homeowner was near an active gas well," explains environmental scientist Robert Jackson of Duke University, who led the study published online May 9 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "We wanted to try and separate fact from emotion." 
  Cornell Professors Duel Over Fracking Research
  Byron Kittle, Cornell Daily Sun February 7, 2012 Three Cornell professors who published conflicting reports earlier this year on the amount of methane gas released into the environment by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are now embroiled in a debate over the accuracy of the others’ research.
• Methane and the Greenhouse-Gas Footprint of Natural Gas from Shale Formations
  Robert W. Howarth, Renee Santoro and Anthony Ingraffea, Climatic Change April 12, 2011 The authors find that compared to coal, the footprint of shale gas is at least 20% greater and perhaps more than twice as great on the 20-year horizon and is comparable when compared over 100 years.
• A Commentary on “The Greenhouse Gas Footprint of Natural Gas in Shale Formations” by R.W. Howarth, R. Santoro, and Anthony Ingraffea
  Lawrence M. Cathles III, Larry Brown, Milton Taam and Andrew Hunter, Climatic Change October 21, 2011 The authors argue that the report by Howarth e al. that suggests shale gas has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than coal is deeply flawed.
• Venting and Leaking of Methane from Shale Gas Development: Response to Cathles e al.
  Robert W. Howarth, Renee Santoro and Anthony Ingraffea, Climatic Change January 10, 2012 The authors’ response to challenges to their April 2011 analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from shale gas obtained by hydraulic fracturing from Lawrence Cathles.
• Institute Examines Fracking Violations 
  Cory Nealon, UB Reporter May 17, 2012 
  University of Buffalo’s Shale Resources and Society Institute has issued a report, Environmental Impacts During Shale Gas Drilling: Causes, Impacts and Remedies, that offers the first quantitative data review of Pennsylvania’s regulation of hydraulic fracturing of natural gas. “This study presents a compelling case that state oversight of oil and gas regulation has been effective,” says lead author Considine.
  Shale Gas Regulation 
  Energy Institute, University of Texas at Austin February 29, 2012 The Energy Institute finds that there is little scientific evidence to back fears that methane releases are contaminating water wells. They also concluded that gaps remain in the regulation of well casing and cementing, water withdrawal and usage, and waste storage and disposal.
• Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Marcellus Shale Gas
  Mohan Jiang, W. Michael Griffin, Chris Hendrickson, et al, IOP Science August, 5, 2011 The study authors find that natural gas from the Marcellus shale has generally lower life cycle greenhouse gas emissions than coal for production of electricity in the absence of any effective carbon capture and storage processes. There is significant uncertainty in their Marcellus shale GHG emission estimates due to eventual production volumes and variability in flaring, construction and transportation.
• Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas
  World Energy Outlook Special Report on Unconventional Gas, IEA May 29, 2012 This report features two new cases: a Golden Rules Case, in which the highest practicable standards are adopted, gaining industry a "social license to operate"; and its counterpart, in which the tide turns against unconventional gas as constraints prove too difficult to overcome.
• The Pennsylvania Marcellus Natural Gas Industry: Status, Economic Impacts and Future Potential
  Timothy Considine, Robert Watson & Seth Blumsack, Pennsylvania State University July 20, 2011 In a report written and produced for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the authors that the development of the Pennsylvania Marcellus increases domestic energy production, creates jobs, and reduces government deficits.
• The Future of Natural Gas: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study
  MIT Energy Initiative June 9, 2011 The MIT study of The Future of Natural Gas seeks to inform the discussion around natural gas by addressing a fundamental question: what is the role of natural gas in a carbon-constrained economy? In exploring this question, the Initiative examines a number of specific issues. How much natural gas is there in the world, how expensive is it to develop, and at what rate can it be produced?

• Earthquakes

• FAQs – Earthquakes Induced by Fluid Injection
  U.S. Geological Survey The USGS answers frequently asked questions regarding the link between fluid injection and earthquakes. Wastewater from the fracking process is frequently disposed of by injection into deep wells—the injection of fluids into the subsurface can cause earthquakes that are large enough to be felt and may cause damage.
  Ohio Earthquake Likely Caused by Fracking Wastewater
  Mark Fischetti, Scientific American January 4, 2012 Injecting wastewater deep underground is the prime suspect, potentially widening earthquake worries linked to hydraulic fracturing.
• Did Fracking Cause Oklahoma’s Largest Recorded Earthquake?
  Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American November 14, 2011 Probably not, as the gas drilling practice tends to be associated with minor quakes, not big ones, seismologists say.
• Examination of Possibly Induced Seismicity from Hydraulic Fracturing in the Eola Field, Garvin County, Oklahoma
  Austin A. Holland, Oklahoma Geological Survey August 2011 The strong correlation in time and space as well as a reasonable fit to a physical model suggest there is a possibility earthquakes felt in Garvin County, Oklahoma, were induced by hydraulic fracturing. However, the uncertainties in the data make it impossible to say with a high degree of certainty whether or not these earthquakes were triggered by natural means or by the nearby hydraulic fracturing operation.

• Energy Independence

• U.S. Energy Independence Is No Longer Just a Pipe Dream
  Tim Mullaney, USA Today May 15, 2012 Much of Wall Street and Washington is seized by the hope that the U.S.'s energy future will be as bright as Williamsport, PA’s. As Americans heave a sigh of relief at gasoline prices falling back from near $4 a gallon, big new discoveries of domestic oil and natural gas hold the promise of more substantial benefits for the U.S. economy for decades to come — even the possibility of energy independence.
• Is U.S. Energy Independence Finally Within Reach?
  John Ydstie, Morning Edition, NPR March 7, 2012 Rising gas prices have been the big energy story of the past several weeks. But many energy experts say that's a sideshow compared with the really big energy event — the huge boom in oil and natural gas production in the U.S. that could help the nation reach the elusive goal of energy independence.
• America’s New Energy Security
  Daniel Yergin, Wall Street Journal December 12, 2011 Thanks to new technology, the U.S. has become less dependent on petroleum imports from unstable countries.
• How to End America’s Addiction to Oil
  R. James Woolsey, Wall Street Journal April 15, 2010 By using more electricity, natural gas and biofuels in our transportation fleet, we can quickly reduce our dependence on OPEC.
• The Impossible Dream of Energy Independence
  Robert Bryce Interview, Reason February 20, 2008 Energy analyst Robert Bryce explains why trying to make all our own power is foolish idea.

• Economics

• Analysis: Shale Energy Boom Dangles Prospect of Leap in Economic Growth
  Jason Lange, Reuters May 24, 2012 America's reliance on fuel imports has sucked vigor from its economy for decades. Now an oil and natural gas boom holds out the prospect for a new era of stronger U.S. economic growth.
• An Economic Boom Ahead?
  David Ignatius, Washington Post May 4, 2012 Two new studies predict the repair of two of America’s greatest economic vulnerabilities in recent times — dependence on foreign energy, with the threat of supply disruption, and the decline of the manufacturing sector in the face of lower-cost foreign competition.
• Oil and Gas Euphoria Is Getting Out of Hand
  Michael Levi, Council on Foreign Relations May 7, 2012 The boom in U.S. oil and gas production has spawned another gusher of increasingly hyperbolic claims about its revolutionary consequences. These are not just musings from the fringe; they’re increasingly becoming conventional wisdom, and not just among people who usually pay attention to oil and gas.
• The Economic and Employment Contributions of Shale Gas in the United States
  IHS December 6, 2011 The natural gas "shale gale" that has dramatically transformed the outlook for U.S. energy supplies is also having profound economic impacts -- creating jobs, reducing consumer costs of natural gas and electricity, stimulating economic growth and bolstering federal, state and local tax revenue, according to a new IHS Global Insight study. The study found that shale gas production supported more than 600,000 jobs in 2010, a number that is projected to grow to nearly 870,000 by 2015.

• More Articles & Background

• The Truth about Fracking
  Chris Mooney, Scientific American October 19, 2011 Fracturing a deep shale layer one time to release natural gas might pose little risk to drinking-water supplies, but doing so repeatedly could be problematic.
  
  Fracking Great
  Economist June 2, 2012
  The promised gas revolution can do the environment more good than harm.
• Fracking in New York: Risk vs. Reward
  Steve Kastenbaum, CNN May 2, 2012 The battle over hydraulic fracturing in the state of New York pits farmers against environmentalists, neighbor vs. neighbor, as gas companies wait to find out if they'll be able to unlock the natural gas trapped in the Marcellus Shale formation thousands of feet below the earth's surface.
• 440: Game ChangerThis American Life July 8, 2011 A professor in Pennsylvania makes a calculation, to discover that his state is sitting atop a massive reserve of natural gas—enough to revolutionize how America gets its energy. But another professor in Pennsylvania does a different calculation and reaches a troubling conclusion: that getting natural gas out of the ground poses a risk to public health. Two men, two calculations, and two very different consequences.
  
  The Grass is Always Greener When It Leaks Less
  Editors, Bloomberg View June 13, 2012
  What’s ultimately needed is a full accounting of all methane escaping from the natural-gas supply chain. Such an effort is expected to cost many millions of dollars and require cooperation by federal agencies involved in energy, the environment, transportation and trade. 
• Terry Engelder on Shale Gas: The Good, the Bad and the Decline Curves
  Kate Mackenzie, FT.com July 12, 2010 FT interview with Terry Engelder, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, credited with discovering the second largest natural gas field in the world in the Marcellus.
• Shale Gas Boom Has Benefits and Risks
  Erin Ailworth, Boston.com April 29, 2012 A proposal to expand a major local pipeline could bring cheap, plentiful supplies of natural gas to New England from Northeast shale formations, but it also thrusts the region into a raging debate that pits economics against environment, industry against community, and sometimes neighbor against neighbor.
• Seeking Disclosure on Fracking
  Kate Galbraith, New York Times May 30, 2012 As the controversial oil and gas drilling practice known as hydraulic fracturing continues to spread, governments around the world are grappling with how to regulate it. One regulatory trend is becoming well-established: requirements that drilling companies disclose information about the chemicals used in fracking.
• Pennsylvania Doctors Worry Over Fracking “Gag Rule”
  Susan Phillips, All Things Considered, NPR March 17, 2012 A new law in Pennsylvania has doctors nervous. The law grants physicians access to information about trade-secret chemicals used in natural gas drilling. But the new law also says that doctors can't tell anyone else — not even other doctors — what's in those formulas.
• Vermont Fracking Ban: Green Mountain State Is First In U.S. To Restrict Gas Drilling Technique
  AP, Huffington Post May 16, 2012 Vermont became the first state in the nation to ban hydraulic fracturing. The ban may be largely symbolic, though, because there is believed to be little to no natural gas or oil beneath the surface in Vermont.
  
  Sierra Clubs Natural Gas Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal May 30, 2012 The media are finally catching up to America's shale natural gas boom, with even Fortune magazine waddling in with a cover story. But the bigger recent news is that one of the most powerful environmental lobbies, the Sierra Club, is mounting a major campaign to kill the industry.
  
  Michael Brune Interview
  Platts Energy Week May 30, 2012
  Michael Brune, executive director of Sierra Club, one of the country's oldest, largest and most influential environmental groups, discusses their opposition to natural gas.