howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
As George Formby might have sung...
I shall stick with a little bit of Blackpool Rock...
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
I have been looking into this Fracking because I believe we should take any future employment and future fuel source's very serious and they should not be dismissed, just because of some, simply saying it is dangerous, especially most coming from the US. After careful consideration and considering everything I have read and with information that has been sent to me, I have come to this conclusion.
Many of the disasters and accidents that have occurred with Fracking in the US, could have been avoided with tighter controls and more emphasis put on environmental impact as opposed to profit. However, I do not believe that this method would ever be safe and would always be a danger to health and environment and other methods should be sort. Below is an email that was sent to me that made up my mind.
Sorry about the length but feel it is poignant. This has happend and is happening today in the US.
Horizontal Fracking - Unacceptable Risks
Hydraulic horizontal fracking poses unacceptable risks to public health, safety and the
environment. The number of documented spills, blowouts, leaks, trucking accidents and
pollution from normal drilling activities is shocking. Below is an abbreviated list...
*Colorado - 206 chemical spills were linked to 48 cases of water contamination in 2008 alone. In
Parachutte, CO, 1.6 million gallons of fracking fluid leaked and were transported by groundwater.
According to state records, it seeped out the side of a cliff, forming a frozen waterfall 200 feet high. It
melted into a tributary of the Colorado River. (ProPublica and Vanity Fair).
*Durango, Colorado - an emergency room nurse almost died of organ failure after handling the clothes of a
rig worker who had been splashed in a fracking fluid spill. The doctors were unable to learn the chemical
makeup of the fluid because the information is proprietary - companies are not required to disclose the
contents of chemicals used. (ProPublica, 11/13/08, Abrahm Lustgarten)
*New Mexico - toxic fluids seeped into water supplies at over 800 drilling sites in 2008. (Vanity Fair, "A
Colossal Fracking Mess" June 21, 2010).
*Wyoming - benzene, a common chemical used in fracking, was discovered throughout a 28-mile long
aquifer. (ProPublica, 12/31/09)
*Wyoming - Upper Green River Basin reported ozone levels above those of Los Angeles on its worst days.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality urged the elderly and children to avoid strenuous
outdoor activity. (AP news article printed in TC Record Eagle, March 2011)
*Sublette, Wyoming - toxic compounds used in fracking including benzene were found at 1500 times safe
level in 88 drinking water wells, documented by the US Bureau of Land Management in July, 2008.
Researchers returned in September to take more samples. They were unable to open the water wells -
monitors showed they contained so much flammable gas that they were likely to explode. (Pro Publica,
"Buried Secrets: Is Natural Gas Drilling Endangering US Water Supplies?" Abrahm Lustgarten,
Nov 13, 2008).
*Dish, Texas - Mayor Calvin Tillman describes how carcinogenic air pollution from drilling has ruined the
quality of life for residents, who report problems with nausea, headaches, breathing difficulties, chronic eye
and throat irritation and brain disorders. Trees are dying and horses have fallen ill. The town hired an
environmental firm to collect air samples and found high levels of 15 chemicals used in fracking fluid,
including benzene, toluene and xylene. In June, 2010, tests by the Texas Railroad Commission showed
high levels of arsenic, barium, chromium, lead and selenium in residential water wells. (Texas Oil and Gas
Accountability Project).
*Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found pollutants from methane gas drilling in the Barnett
Shale were greater than those produced by all vehicular traffic in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
*Texas - a hospital system in six counties with gas drilling reported a 25% asthma rate for children. This is
over three times the state average. (New York Times article 2/26/11, "Regulation Lax As Gas Wells
Tainted Water Hits Rivers")
*Texas - The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TDEX) independent research organization based in
Colorado analyzed the health effects of 61 chemicals used in fracking in Texas in April, 2009. Of the tested
chemicals, ¼ were classified as volatile, meaning they can become airborne and can be swallowed, inhaled,
or can reach skin. More than 90% are harmful to brain, nerves, lungs and digestive system. 80% affect the
heart, blood and kidneys. 67% affect the immune system. (Texas Oil and Gas Accountability
Project).
*Arkansas - The US Geological Survey has reported more than 800 earthquakes in central Arkansas from
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September 2010 to January 2011. The earthquakes have caused damage to homes such as cracks in walls
and driveways. Geologists believe the earthquakes could be the result of frack fluid waste disposal in
injection wells. A 6-month moratorium was established in January on the building of new injection wells.
Louisiana - 16 cattle mysteriously and abruptly dropped dead after drinking fluid adjacent to a gas drilling
rig. (ProPublica, Abrahm Lustgarten, 4/30/09).
*Clearville, Pennsylvannia - livestock dropped dead after suffering motor skill breakdowns, likely resulting
from high arsenic levels in the soil due to flowback fluid leaks.
*Dimock, PA - New Years Day, 2009, a well exploded from leaked gasses due to improper cementing of
the well casing (according to the PA Department of environmental Protection.) A similar explosion which
occurred in Ohio blew a house off its foundations and left a neighborhood with no drinkable water.
*Dimock, PA - in Sept., 2009, 8,000 gallons of fracking fluid leaked from faulty supply pipes into wetlands,
poisoning streams and killing fish. Drinking water turned brown and corrosive and would ignite when a
match was held to it as it came out the tap. People reported dizziness, headaches and skin sores from
showering. In October 2009, the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection shut down water wells in the area
due to major contamination of the aquifer. (Source Watch - Marcellus Shale).
*Clearfield County, PA - June 2010, a gas well blew out, releasing over one million gallons of gas and
drilling fluid before being contained nearly 16 hours later.
*Avella, PA - fumes escaping from tanks holding 21,000 gallons of flammable fluid exploded, producing
200-foot flames and burning for 6 hours. Three workers were injured.
*Bradford County, PA - A Chesapeake Energy well blew near the surface, probably from a cracked well
casing. Thousands of gallons of fracking fluid spilled over the containment walls into fields, farms, areas
where cattle graze. Some of the fluid found its way into Towanda Creek, a tributary to the Susquehanna
River. Seven families were evacuated from their homes. (4/20/11 AP news and Huffington Post).
*New York Times 2/27/11 - internal documents obtained from the EPA revealed that wastewater from deep
shale drilling contains radioactivity at hundreds or even thousands of times the maximum allowed by the
federal standard for drinking water. This wastewater is often hauled to sewage plants which are not
designed to treat it, and then discharged into rivers. Here in Michigan, the wastewater or flowback fluid
will be dumped into injection wells where the upward migration into drinking water and aquifer is highly
possible (refer to Arkansas earthquakes - two fault lines run through Northern Michigan. Also refer to
Chris Groebbel paper on injection wells in Michigan. Thousands of previously drilled wells could act as a
conduit for the upward migration of toxic and radioactive fracking waste into ground water aquifers).
*Horizontal fracking is increasing in use. Every year, thousands of new wells are drilled. According to
ProPublica, 12/31/09, Abrahm Lustgarten, "The government estimates that companies will drill at least
32,000 new gas wells annually by 2012. That could mean more than 100 billion gallons of hazardous fluids
will be used and disposed of each year..." Billions and billions of gallons of fresh groundwater will be
contaminated and removed FOREVER from the hydrologic cycle.
Do we really want this in England???
Information compiled by Anne Zukowski
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
rather a frightening scenario, the bit about the company not naming the chemicals causing such a catastrophe is especially frightening.
more importantly in a workd where drinking water is becoming ever more important we cannot afford to contaminate vast quantities.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Fracking well thanks, Garry, but no fraking please!
Could well do without.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
That sure is a long list of problems associated with the extraction of shale gas and at first read it would certainly frighten the horses or cattle for that matter who managed to die from ingesting chemicals used in the process.
However it is also possible to provide a longer list of problems linked with the creation of power by all other means including coal extraction, gas, nuclear, wind, solar, in fact every single method.
The film "Gaslands" which has been widely used as evidence by environmentalists as a reason to stop shale gas extraction has been thoroughly debunked as hokum.
Shale gas could be a game-changer in terms of our energy security and good for the economy but once again it seems that energy policy and economic policy is once again being dictated by a cabal of deluded hippies who would like us to go back to living in caves.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
PhillipP.
I agree, this could be life changing and even with my post, I still think it should not be abandoned just because of some bad reports coming from the US.
But with the facts to hand, to go ahead with this method now, would be a big mistake.
More needs to be investigated; if this goes ahead now, the damage cannot be reversed.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Dismissing the propaganda and cheap one liners of # 6.
Anybody who has studied the Fraking process will know it is a system that must not be used.Another process,much safer,must be sort and used to access this energy source.
Much closer to home they are planning to test drill for shale gas in WOODNESBOROUGH.Gary bearing in mind the recent coal mine accident in China which it is thought to be caused the by earthquake tremours do you know of any coal mine seams in the Woodnesborough area?
Shale gas drilling causes earthquake tremours.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
Those one liners weren't that cheap you know. I paid handsomely for those. In fact I had to borrow in order to pay for them. Nobody's going to bail me out if I can't pay.
I wouldn't describe any pro fraking arguments as propaganda. Why that would be like saying that wind power and solar power is going to solve our energy crisis.
No method of energy production is entirely safe. Never has and never will be. More people have died in the production of wind turbines than have died in the process of fraking.
Burning water as featured in the film Gaslands has been exposed as a lie. The phenomena has been recognised as such long before shale gas extraction.
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Phillip let me bail you out the cost of your one liners..................unique windups!!
Burning water also propaganda rubbish!
Wind turbine deaths?.............Fraking deaths ?...............short,medium and long term?......Unfair comparison.
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,682
Here you go from a source closer to home
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/gas_fracking_highly_probable_cause_of_seaside_earth_tremors_1_3931978
and this was a report commissioned by the energy company doing the test fracking
draw your own conclusions
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
Yep, just read that piece and have drawn my own conclusion - still nothing to worry about.
The funny thing about environmentalism is that proponents of the religion/cause/movement/collective bedwetting brigade is that they only give their extremely biased side of the story.
So, for example, it is left to proper scientists and researchers to explore their spurious aims and expose the myths they propagate.
So let's take as an example biofuels.
What was once seen as the saviour of the atmosphere and wholesome and organic and hey man it's plants so it's cool right has been exposed not only as a very efficient method of despatching humans by way of starvation but strangely enough actually adding to the collective mass of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Hmmmn who would have thought it eh? Actually making the perceived problem worse?
But, hey, that's the strange and wacky world of green politics and green business.
We'red be better off with hippies running the show.....oh, hang on, we already do.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i wouldn't claim to be an expert on the subject but have read several write ups from different sources and most fall in line with post 3.
the thing that strikes me overall is that most of the problems in the states seem to occur in under populated rural areas, people there would not normally have the same clout as their city and suburbam counterparts.
we do not have many genuine wildernesses in our country other than national parks, therefore until more is known about the technique and better safety standards ensue i think we should give it a wide berth.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Reg.
Both seams of coal that Betteshanger worked, stretch far past Woodnesborough.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
#.12.!!!!!!!!!!!!!Forget #.10................Could not afford you final bill.
Thanks Gary.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
gets ever more controversial with just us and poland going for it out of all the e.u. states.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/09/fracking-laws-dash-for-gashoward mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Oh dear, fracking isn't the answer to the energy solution.
Will cause earth tremors, and amplify the effect of earthquakes if they happen, for example in America.
The Government is dishing them out like hot-scones: promising new nuclear power plants, coal glassification, (or gasification), or was it underground combustion?, and a few other unearthly sods.
But all to no avail, Gov.hasn't got a clue how to solve the energy crisis.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
FRACKING - FACTS AND FEARS Last Updated: APRIL9, 2012Professor Blake Watson, University of Dayton School of Law
Originally Developed in Conjunction with a Program Sponsored by the Dayton League of Women Voters,
Held at University of Dayton School of Law,
Mathias H. Heck Court Room,on February29, 2012
http://www.udayton.edu/directory/law/documents/watson/fracking_facts_fears_04092012.pdfIgnorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i think you have had enough fun at alex's expense for now paul, don't you think?