http://energyblog.nationalgeographic...om-study-says/
The study, which was released jointly by the American Geophysical Union and NASA, found that between 2003 and 2009, the area released .59 million metric tons of methane each year, which is more than triple the standard estimate for an area of that size. The 2,500-square-mile (6,500 square kilometers) spot lies near the intersection of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.
The hot spot emerged before the rise of hydraulic fracturing, a practice that has spurred concerns about “fugitive” methane emissions—leaks that occur while fracking is under way. Instead, researchers say, the gas is likely coming from leaks during the production of natural gas from coal beds in New Mexico’s San Juan Basin. Coalbed methane accounted for about 8 percent of U.S. natural gas production in 2012, according to the study release.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/op...anted=all&_r=0
The Pennsylvania experience with water contamination is also instructive. In Pennsylvania, shale gas is accessed at depths of thousands of feet while drinking water is extracted from depths of only hundreds of feet. Nowhere in the state have fracking compounds injected at depth been shown to contaminate drinking water.
In one study of 200 private water wells in the fracking regions of Pennsylvania, water quality was the same before and soon after drilling in all wells except one. The only surprise from that study was that many of the wells failed drinking water regulations before drilling started. But trucking and storage accidents have spilled fracking fluids and brines, leading to contamination of water and soils that had to be cleaned up. The fact that gas companies do not always disclose the composition of all fracking and drilling compounds makes it difficult to monitor for injected chemicals in streams and groundwater.
The Tyee is a terrible rag. Nikiforuk is clearly trying to link non-fracking related events in these regions (Penn and Colorado) to fracking. Not true.
Good luck to Ernst. Going to need it. (incidentally, I agree with the Judge, IF damages can be proven then liability needs to be assessed)
Wiebo Ludwig could ramble on for hours as well about how this was from drilling and that was from flaring etc etc etc.
This judge's decision won't help fracking
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