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1. Hydraulic Fracturing
Emilie Blunt

2. What is Hydraulic Fracturing?
Definition
• A method of obtaining natural gas (NG) and oil from small fissures
inside shale deposits underground through the drilling of wells.
• Utilizes chemically treated water and proppant that is injected
underground to stimulate the release of trapped natural gas and oil
molecules.
• Commonly referred to as “fracking”.

3. The Process of Fracking
• Well is drilled down into earth,
then horizontally into shale
formation.
• Intercepts small fissures in
shale where NG and oil are
trapped.
• Slickwater pushed into the
well, forcing fissures open and
releasing NG/oil.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401

4. The Process of Fracking
• NG/oil is then displaced into the
well and collected.
• Slickwater is then allowed to exit
well.
• Flowback release process lasts up
to 2 weeks.
• Wastewater is then collected and
transported for disposal.

5. What is This?

6. Where Does Fracking Occur?
• “Shale Plays” location.

7. Benefits of Fracking
Creates Economic surplus
• In 2010, shale gas created consumer surplus of $100 billion dollars.
• Increases availability of work in the job market.
• Increase in federal revenue and household income.
• Marcillus shale speculated to contain $120 billion dollars worth of
NG.
• Research and development of fracking techniques increasing investment into
industry.

8. Benefits of Fracking
Energy Availability
• Marcillus shale estimated to have up to 500 trillion cubic feet of
NG.
• Price of NG lowering, making electricity cheaper.
• Supply estimated to last 90 years.
• Optimistic figures = double.

9. Benefits of Fracking
Smaller Carbon Footprint
• Collection and burning of NG is more “environmentally friendly”
than burning coal.
• NG burning releases half the amount of carbon dioxide omissions
that coal releases.
• Geopolitical shift from coal-burning to natural gas would benefit
global environment.

10. Risks of Fracking
Water Consumption
• First practiced In the 1940’s.
• Used less than 1000 gallons of fluid and 500 gallons of proppant.
• Modern method coined in 1997 by Mitchell Energy.
• Addition of horizontal drilling.
• Uses over 8 million gallons of water and 4 million gallons of proppant.
• One single well can be fracked multiple times throughout its life.

11. Conservative solution?
Recycling of flowback
• Recycling for use in future fracking operations requires a lower
level of treatment and is easily achievable.
• Recycling for use in non-oil use requires a higher standard of
treatment and is more costly, but achievable.
(Lester Y, et al. Sci Total Environ. Apr 2015. 512-13:637-44.)

12. Risks of Fracking
Environmental Disruption
• Flowback can contaminate sources of drinking water if not
properly disposed of or contained.
• Surface water – rivers, ponds, lakes.
• Groundwater – aquifers, water table.
• Can disturb environment.
• Can cause dramatic and devastating changes to fauna and flora within an
ecosystem.

13. Acorn Creek, Kentucky. (2007)
• Retention pond for flowback
overfilled and spilled into the
local creek.
• Habitat for threatened species:
• Chrosomus cumberlandensis
(Blackside Dace).
• Outstanding State Resource Water.
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
50000
22-Jun 10-Jul 24-Jul
Conductivity(µS/cm)
Dates Sampled (Year 2007)
Conductivity of Water Sampled Over a 32 Day Period from
Acorn Creek, Kentucky
Site 4
Site 3
Papoulias DM, Velasco AL. 2013. Southeast Nat. 12:92-111.

14. Acorn Creek, Kentucky. (2007)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Curling/Clubbing of gill
filaments
Epithelial lifting of secondary
lamellae
%offishwithobservedsymptoms
Symptoms observed in fish over a 48 hour
period, that were collected from Site 3 of
Acorn Creek, Kentucky
3A (3hrs)
3B (48hrs)
Papoulias DM, Velasco AL. 2013. Southeast Nat. 12:92-111.
Normal
Curling of
filaments
Epithelial
lifting

15. How is Fracking Regulated?
• Managed state-by-state on private land.
• EPA regulation “Safe Water Drinking Act”.
• Prohibited underground injection of fluid.
• Amended in 2005.
• EPA “Clean Water Act”.
• Discharge of wastewater into US waters regulated.

16. Trade Secret Laws
• Oil and gas companies not required to disclose all chemicals used
in fracking process if they are labeled a trade secret.
• State-level law.
• Can be challenged.
• Controversy stems from non-disclosure of slickwater components.
• EPA requested voluntary disclosure.
• 944 data sheets studied, 14% had complete chemical components specified.
• Included biocides as a chemical component.

17. Trade Secret Laws
• “Biocides are a group of concern as they contain the highest
number of toxic compounds.”
• Poorly categorized yet widely used in [oil and gas] industry.
• (Stringfellow WT, et al. J Hazard Mater. Apr 2014. 275:37-54.)
• Biocides are used to control bacterial populations within produced
water.
• “Organisms that can metabolize sulfur compounds to sulfide are of interest
to oil and gas companies.” (Mohan AM, et al. PLoS One. 2014. 9:1-12.)
• Can lead to infrastructure corrosion, gas souring, and worker safety
concerns.

18. Trade Secret Laws
• Uproar from US society prompted response from federal
government.
• Mandatory disclosure of all chemicals used in fracking job.
• Oil companies required to disclose chemical components 30 days after a job
is completed.
• Only for wells drilled on federal land.

19. Fracking on Federal land?
Native American Reservations
• Religious opposition.
• Some Native Americans feel religiously obligated to the Earth.
• Cultural Importance.
• Hard to join the energy boom.
• Shale formations under Indian Reservations harder to drill into.
• Federal regulations & paperwork daunting to oil companies.

20. Bans on fracking?
Denton, TX
• Enforced city wide ban on fracking
• Complaints of noise and air pollution
• Ban repealed hours after it was enacted
• Lawsuits from Texas Oil and Gas Association and General Land Office
• HB 40 rendered ban unconstitutional
• Prohibits citizens from stopping development of oil/NG reserves.

21. Fracking Abroad
• United Nations debating use.
• Germany currently researching effectiveness.
• Environmental costs vs profits.
• France, Netherlands and Belgium enforcing bans on fracking.

22. Hydraulic Fracturing
• Benefits vs. Risks
• Economy, Energy, Cleaner alternative
• Environmental impact
• Sociological Views
• Fracking bans
• Cultural obligations
• Laws and Regulations
• Trade Secret Law
• Regulations on Federal Land

23. http://earthdesk.blogs.pace.edu/files/2013/06/The-Hobbit.jpg

24. Some environmentalists believe all frack sites
should be federally mandated to ensure public
safety and accountability. Most oil companies
disagree with this statement, saying that
government intervention will harm the oil industry.
Should all fracking become federally regulated?

25. Oil industries claim that hydraulic fracturing is an
“environmentally friendly” method of obtaining
energy compared to coal mining operations.
Environmentalists disagree with this statement.
What are your thoughts?

26. Oil companies claim that portions of their fracking
solutions should remain non-disclosed due to
investments into research and development of said
solutions. There is opposition to this from portions
of society who claim full transparency is necessary
for total public security. Should trade secret laws
continue to be enforced?

27. What are your thoughts and opinions on
fracking in general?