|
The
quandary surrounding natural gas drilling is deepening. While natural gas
is both cleaner and prevalent in unconventional forms, environmental groups
have expressed concerns that it is becoming too easy to get exploratory
permits and that drinking water supplies are becoming endangered as a
result.
Accessing
natural gas deposits is difficult because of environmental laws. And
getting to unconventional sources is not any easier. But the difference is
that the conventional fields are becoming depleted while the output from
coal-bed methane and shale formations are expanding. Today, such fuel
sources that can be transformed into natural gas represent a trend in
energy production.
"Programs
that encourage the use of alternative fuels should be coupled with programs
that boost natural gas production," writes Ed Ireland, executive
director of the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council. "This is
because clean-burning natural gas will provide another century or more of a
stable energy resource to power the nation's electric generation systems,
and will help integrate wind and solar power into the energy resources
currently available."
He points
to a study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration that says that
fossil fuels will dominate for at least another two decades. Today, oil,
natural gas and coal comprise 85 percent of all energy consumption. By
2030, the agency is predicting that such fuels will make up 81 percent. The
flip side is that alternative sources will grow. But those energy forms are
intermittent and they must have back-up generation. Ireland
thus asks whether the nation would rather depend on natural gas or coal for
electricity.
If the
reduction of greenhouse gases is a top priority, then the answer would be
natural gas that, when combusted, releases half the carbon dioxide as coal.
But Ireland
says that pending federal policies would actually dissuade natural gas
production by imposing new taxes and regulations. He is particularly
critical of a bill to eliminate the expensing of intangible drilling costs
-- a proposal that the industry says would result in far fewer wells
getting drilled and henceforth lead to less supply and higher prices.
Shale is a
sedimentary rock that is less porous than sandstone where traditional
natural gas is found. While explorers have always known shale formations
are rich with gas, it has only been in recent years that retrieving such
resources has been technologically feasible. With horizontal drilling,
producers can move laterally beneath cities and neighborhoods to extract
the product. Hydraulic fracturing, meantime, is also productive.
But tons of
water and chemicals must be pumped deep down into the wells to loosen it.
And that has created concerns among many communities and environmental
groups that say the process contaminates the groundwater. Along those
lines, such organizations say that they recognize that natural gas is the
cleanest burning fossil fuel but that its current appeal must remain
temporary until green energy sources are primed.
Regulatory Scrutiny
Beyond
changes in tax law, the natural gas industry also faces those critics who
say that the methane that is released in the production process harms
public drinking water. They have the ear of some in Congress. They, in
turn, want the relevant drilling methods to be regulated under the Safe
Drinking Act, where some of them are exempt. Specifically, a measure has
been submitted that would make companies report what chemicals are used to
shake loose natural gas deposits from the rocks where it is trapped.
It all
comes amidst pending energy legislation that would limit greenhouse gas
emissions. According to the Ground Water Protection Council, the states
that now regulate shale production have safeguarded consumer interest while
promoting more exploration. It suggested, though, that the policymakers
develop more specific guidelines for those deposits near plentiful
groundwater supplies.
For their
part, natural gas producers say that they take adequate precautions to
protect drinking water supplies by sealing off the wells with steel and
concrete before they unloose any chemicals. They also say the evidence
linking any sicknesses with their drilling techniques is lacking, pointing
to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study in 2004 that agreed with
their thinking.
"We
believe the states are doing an effective job in managing the risk,"
says Scott Kell, president of the Ground Water
Protection Council, in testimony before Congress.
Supporters
of the industry say that federal regulations such as those now pending
would deter investment in shale production. Even in times of recession, Texas economist Ray Perryman says that the Barnett
Shale in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will generate $6.5
billion in economic output, which is still well below the $11 billion it
created in 2008.
The Barnett
Shale was the first major field to be explored around 2001. It now supplies
6 percent of the nation's natural gas. Meantime, the Haynesville Shale
project in Louisiana and Texas
as well as the Marcellus field that stretches from New
York State down
through Appalachia might be even bigger.
Estimates are that 21 shale beds exist in 20 states but that it will take
several years to prepare them for development.
"Traditional
wells may have a four-year lifespan," says Cathy Conner, chief
executive of Universal Well Site Solutions in Loveland, Colo.
"But an unconventional one may have a life of 50 years and very rarely
is there a dry hole. New forms of automation also mean there is a much
smaller footprint."
As the
nation thirst for cleaner energy that is domestically produced, natural gas
developers say that they have an important role to play. Their drilling
methods are environmentally benign, they add, emphasizing that their
product is the ideal supplement to wind and solar power. U.S.
lawmakers are now scrutinizing their claims, which if nothing else will
force those developers to try to be even better.
More
information is available from Energy Central:
Return to Environmental Update
Return to Homepage
Roubidoux
True tales of the Huckleberry Finn type adventures of a boy who journeys from
delinquency in California to Southern culture in the Missouri Ozarks. Although told
through the eyes of a twelve year old who never grows old, much of the real life
adventure is emotionally timeless with appeal to all ages. Brutally honest at
times but never off colored.
A sample from Roubidoux may be read here.
The book may be ordered here.
Do you know that your body is naturally acidic which makes you susceptible to all manner of unhealthy conditions and illnesses? By making your body alkaline instead of acidic you mitigate these potential health problems. One way of doing this is to drink alkaline water. The above machine is called the "Athena" and makes tap water into pure, clean alkaline water. It's rather expensive, but it's the best in the world. Isn't your health worth it?
Click here to learn more and order it.
Want to live clean without exposing yourself or your family to hazardous chemicals? Miracle II
soap is all natural and contains no hazardous chemicals. You can clean anything with it, including your body. A capful of it in the water each time you bathe will guarantee you will never see another
scum ring in your tub, to say nothing of the infinitely more dramatic beneficial
effects attested to by a multitude of Miracle II users throughout the world. From the mundane to the sublime, Miracle II works!
|