UCS Applauds Obama Administration Agreement on Fuel Efficiency & Auto Pollution Standards | Union of Concerned Scientists
July 29, 2011
Exxon Mobil’s profit sapped by natural gas – MarketWatch
July 29, 2011
Exxon Mobil’s profit sapped by natural gas – MarketWatch.
July 28, 2011, 12:36 p.m. EDT
Exxon Mobil’s profit sapped by natural gas
Reliance on lower-priced natural gas hurts quarterly results
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By Steve Gelsi, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Before its purchase of so-called unconventional gas producer XTO Energy in 2010, Exxon Mobil Corp.’s oil-equivalent production grew at an anemic single-digit percentage rate.
In the first full quarter after it closed on the XTO deal in June 2010, Exxon Mobil XOM -1.57% registered a 20% increase in production.
While the Irving, Texas-based oil major granted Wall Street’s wish for greater fossil-fuel output, most of the increase came from natural gas tapped via the XTO business and its liquid natural-gas facilities in Qatar.
EPA Protects Rivers, Lakes and Streams by Plugging Abandoned Oil Wells in Western New York–July 29, 2011
July 29, 2011
EPA Protects Rivers, Lakes and Streams by Plugging Abandoned Oil Wells in Western New York
Release date: 07/29/2011
Contact Information: John Senn, (212) 637-3667, senn.john@epa.gov
(New York, N.Y.) Over the past six years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has plugged close to 300 abandoned – and in some cases leaking – oil wells in Western New York in an effort to prevent any remaining oil that may be in the wells from reaching nearby lakes, rivers and streams. The abandoned wells, many of which no longer have owners, have not been maintained for decades, and are gradually deteriorating to the point at which crude oil could leak from broken well casings, pipes and storage tanks. To prevent future leaks, EPA has had the wells filled with concrete and a fine clay substance called bentonite to immobilize any remaining oil. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation referred the abandoned oil wells to EPA for cleanup.
“Oil is one of the worst water pollutants, and the abandoned oil wells like the ones that EPA has cleaned up represent a threat to our most vital natural resource – clean water,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck. “By plugging hundreds of abandoned oil wells, we’re protecting public health and the environment, and fixing a problem that had been decades in the making.”
Since 2005, EPA has overseen the plugging of 294 wells at six locations. They are:
· The Curtis Farm Oil Wells Site in Bolivar, N.Y., where 136 have been plugged. The site is near the Little Genesee Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River.
· The West Union Oil Wells Site in West Union, N.Y. Ninety-one wells were plugged at this site near the New York/Pennsylvania border in Steuben County. Areas from which contaminated soil was removed were filled with clean soil. Students from SUNY-Brockport helped replace native plants that were damaged or destroyed during the removal.
· The Weston Lot 7 Oil Wells Site in Olean, N.Y., where 34 wells have been plugged. The oil rights for the company extracting oil from this site, which borders Mix Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River, were not transferred when the company’s owner died in 1994.
· The Ballard Oil Lease Site in Bolivar, N.Y. Thirty-one wells have been plugged at this site, which is also near the Little Genesee Creek.
· The Dodge Creek Oil Well Site in Clarksville, N.Y. One well was plugged at this site, which borders Dodge Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River. Dodge Creek is a trout habitat and home to the Eastern Hellbender salamander, a species of listed special concern in New York State.
· The McGraw One Oil Well Site in West Union, N.Y. One well was plugged at this site after no owner or operator could be identified following a citizen complaint. The site is near Marsh Creek, a tributary of the Genesee River.
Later this summer, EPA will oversee the plugging of abandoned wells on the Burrows Oil Lease Site in Olean, N.Y. The site comprises 13 crude oil production wells, some of which are leaking or show evidence of past leakage. The site borders Mix Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River.
For a Google Earth aerial view of the oil plugging site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region2/kml/western_ny_abandoned_oil_wells.kml. (Please note that you must have Google Earth installed on your computer to view the map. To download Google Earth, visit http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html).
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
11-100
Here’s what the NYSDEC says about abandoned wells in NY:
“Abandoned Wells
At least 70,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled in New York since
the 1800’s, but information is available for only about 30,000 of
them. Locations for the others are unknown, and wells have been found
in such unexpected places as basements, stream banks and under parking
lots. Abandoned wells may pose hazards not only to walking on the
ground surface if outdoors, but also to ground water resources if not
properly plugged. In addition, they provide a potential conduit for
leakage of oil, gas or brine to the atmosphere, soil or surface
water.”
See: http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/1532.html
So plugging 300 wells is…I guess you could call it a start. A very
small start. At this rate, it looks as if the well-plugging crew has a
LOT of job security, especially since they are likely to have a lot of
shale gas wells to plug after the companies that own them go belly up.
And then there’s the question of how long the cement in the plugs will
last…yes, I would say the well-plugging crew has no lack of work
ahead of them.
Findings on Natural Gas Production’s Consequences to Public Health and the Environment
July 29, 2011
ny-times-findings-pow.pdf (application/pdf Object).
Findings on Natural Gas Production’s Consequences to Public Health and the Environment
From the “Drilling Down” investigative series by Ian Urbina
Regulation Lax as Gas Wells’ Water Hits Rivers (February 26, 2011)
PE Magazine, April 2010, Concepts: ‘Fracing,’ PEs, and Advocacy
July 29, 2011
PE Magazine, April 2010, Concepts: ‘Fracing,’ PEs, and Advocacy.
‘Fracing,’ PEs, and Advocacy
BY ANTHONY R. INGRAFFEA, P.E.
Kathy Caldwell, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, wrote recently, “The profession of civil engineering involves more than engineering practice. It also involves, in part, thoughtful consideration of issues affecting the health and safety of the public.” This assertion is consistent with the NSPE Code of Ethics’ first canon: to “hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.” These statements are coming into play in many areas of the country where a major engineering project is underway—unconventional natural gas development from shale formations using high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or “fracing.”
A recent poll by the Civil Society Institute found that 45% of Americans are already very or somewhat aware of controversies about fracing. For some professional engineers, “thoughtful consideration” of this issue might evolve into advocacy.
NYS Assembly Hearings on Health Impacts of Hydrofracking–May 26, 2011
July 29, 2011
https://gdacc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/5-26-11-encon-health-transcript-hydrofracking.doc
Attached is the transcript of the May 26th NYS Assembly Public Hearings. You can get a DVD set of the hearings by mailing a check for $10 (in the memo line write “for DVD of May 26th public hearing on health and hydrofracking”) to Office of Public Information, Room 202, Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248.
There were also 863pp of written testimony submitted and this is also available through the Office of Public Information. However, they aren’t on electronic file, just hard copy. You can get that copied for 25 cents a page by contacting Robin Marilla at 518-455-4218. It can take up to a month, but some of that information may be useful for tyour SGEIS comments.
More on the SGEIS and health issues in a future email…
However, in brief, the revised SGEIS fails to protect human health. (http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/75370.html). Search the document for key words, like endocrine disruptors, or names, like Theo Colborn or Robert Howarth.
–As with the previous draft SGEIS, there is no chapter dedicated to human health. Busy medical professionals must go through over 1000 pages to try to gather health info, so chances are they won’t. Some of the information is incorrect, incomplete or outdated and the conclusions based on their information therefore wrong (eg, radioactivity, waste, chemicals…)
–No Health Impact Assessment was done.
–There is no mechanism for tracking human health impacts and assessing risk.
–Cumulative impacts on individuals, communities, the state are not addressed.
–There is no provision to protect vulnerable populations.
–The complete list of determinants of human health are not covered in the SGEIS, nor are the stressors on human health.
–There is no regard for the Precautionary Principle.
–etc…
Larysa
Impacts of Shale Gas and Shale Oil Extraction on the Environment and on Human Health
July 28, 2011
download.do (application/pdf Object).
Impacts of Shale Gas and Shale Oil Extraction on the Environment and on Human Health–European Parliament
Abstract
This study discusses the possible impacts of hydraulic fracturing on the
environment and on human health. Quantitative data and qualitative impacts
are taken from US experience since shale gas extraction in Europe still is in its
infancy, while the USA have more than 40 years of experience already having
drilled more than 50,000 wells. Greenhouse gas emissions are also assessed
based on a critical review of existing literature and own calculations. European
legislation is reviewed with respect to hydraulic fracturing activities and
recommendations for further work are given. The potential gas resources and
future availability of shale gas is discussed in face of the present conventional
gas supply and its probable future development.
IP/
RECOMMENDATIONS
There is no comprehensive directive providing for a European mining law. A publicly
available, comprehensive and detailed analysis of the European regulatory
framework concerning shale gas and tight oil extraction is not available and should
be developed.
The current EU regulatory framework concerning hydraulic fracturing, which is the
core element in shale gas and tight oil extraction, has a number of gaps. Most
importantly, the threshold for Environmental Impact Assessments to be carried out
on hydraulic fracturing activities in hydrocarbon extraction is set far above any
potential industrial activities of this kind, and thus should be lowered substantially.
The coverage of the water framework Directive should be re-assessed with special
focus on fracturing activities and their possible impacts on surface water.
In the framework of a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), a thorough cost/benefit analysis
could be a tool to assess the overall benefits for society and its citizens. A
harmonized approach to be applied throughout EU27 should be developed, based on
which responsible authorities can perform their LCA assessments and discuss them
with the public.
It should be assessed whether the use of toxic chemicals for injection should be
banned in general. At least, all chemicals to be used should be disclosed publicly,
the number of allowed chemicals should be restricted and its use should be
monitored. Statistics about the injected quantities and number of projects should be
collected at European level.
Regional authorities should be strengthened to take decisions on the permission of
projects which involve hydraulic fracturing. Public participation and LCAassessments
should be mandatory in finding these decisions.
Where project permits are granted, the monitoring of surface water flows and air
emissions should be mandatory.
Statistics on accidents and complaints should be collected and analysed at European
level. Where projects are permitted, an independent authority should collect and
review complaints.
Because of the complex nature of possible impacts and risks to the environment and
to human health of hydraulic fracturing consideration should be given to developing
a new directive at European level regulating all issues in this area comprehensively
European Union report says ban fracking | Scoop News
July 28, 2011
European Union report says ban fracking | Scoop News.
European Union report says ban fracking
European Union report says ban fracking
“It is ironic that the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association (PEPANZ) issued a position paper glorifying fracking as the saviour of the world’s energy problems within hours of a European Union requested study that considers banning the practice outright across Europe” says Emily Bailey, a member of Climate Justice Taranaki.
“While industry PR agents try to convince the public that the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing are similar to many found in other commercial uses or in the household, they fail to mention that a recent Taranaki Regional Council report stated the use of highly toxic chemicals including Xcide 102 – a biocide toxic to humans, domestic animals, fish and wildlife; Inflo-150 – a friction reducer containing methanol and ethylene glycol, both highly toxic, hazardous substances; and GBW-41L (Hydrogen peroxide) – an animal carcinogen harmful to humans even at low concentrations in vapour form. Environmental agencies in the US and elsewhere now admit these chemical cocktails have not been tested properly and even minute quantities can cause serious health impacts. Although the Hazardous Substance and New Organisms (HSNO) Act requires any hazardous substance manufactured or imported into NZ to have an approval from Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA), there is no requirement under the regulations for ERMA to be notified when the substance is being used.” says Bailey.
In a study requested by the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, scientists conclude that “at a time when sustainability is key to future operations it can be questioned whether the injection of toxic chemicals in the underground should be allowed, or whether it should be banned as such a practice would restrict or exclude any later use of the contaminated layer… and as long-term effects are not investigated.”
Bailey further explains “while the toxic chemical input is of major concern, the industry fails to respond sufficiently on the many other problems of oil and gas exploration and production, which is becoming more risky as resources run out. These problems include leaks or failures of steel and cement drill casings, deep-well injection of toxic waste which may also increase seismic activity, the storage of explosives on farms and in communities during seismic surveying, increased green house gas emissions, offshore and onshore oil spills that damage fisheries, and waste product contamination of air, water and soils.”
“The industry’s failures are backed up by insufficient laws that often do not require resource consent, do not provide adequate testing or follow-up procedures and rarely allow for public input. The levels for determining who is an affected party are ridiculously low and those parties have little power to change the activities anyway. Landowners have legal rights to refuse entry but are often bullied or coerced into submission as can be seen in the US and Australia.”
“The public doesn’t need industry spin when it comes to fracking. What we demand is that our government follow several US states and France’s lead and ban this dangerous extraction method. Meanwhile landowners can follow Australian farmers and ‘Lock the Gate’ while our communities continue being pro-active and finding solutions to reduce our use of fossil fuels” concludes Bailey.
ENDS
