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California regulators will require oil and natural gas companies to
disclose plans to use hydraulic fracturing 10 days in advance, under draft
regulations released today.
If the regulations are adopted, the Division of Oil, Gas, and
Geothermal Resources will post well locations three days before fracturing
begins, according to a statement posted on the agency’s website today. The
state doesn’t currently require companies to reveal fracking plans.
Prehistoric Flowback Adds Fresh Trouble To Fracking Woes
A group of researchers from Penn State University has uncovered a
new issue for fracking, the natural gas drilling method that involves
pumping a pressurized mix of water, chemicals, and other substances
thousands of feet underground. Until now, one major focus of concern has
been fracking water contamination from chemicals in the original fluid.
The new twist, according to the research team, is that the spent fluid
comes back laden with a brine containing elements that have been locked
beneath the earth for hundreds of millions of years dating back to the
Paleozoic era. With elements like barium and radium in the mix, the end
result could be costly new regulations for the transportation and disposal
of fracking brine, and new headaches for the fracking industry.
Gas well flowback matches Paleo brines
Brine water that flows back from gas wells in the Marcellus Shale
region after fracking is many times saltier than seawater, with high
contents of various elements, including radium and barium.
Fracking Wastewater Injection Wells Linked to Earthquakes
Scientists presented evidence tying the disposal of wastewater from
shale gas hydrofracking to an increased occurrence of earthquakes.
The scientists presented their findings at the American Geophysical
Union fall meeting. Some US states, like Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado
have experienced a significant rise in seismic activity in the last few years,
coinciding with a recent boom in fracking, a process that forces gas from
harder to reach underground deposits by injecting water and chemicals
into shale rock.
Local Government Takes Steps to Ban Use of Fracking Waste