Fracturing can be traced to the 1860s, when liquid nitroglycerin ng was used to stimulate shallow, hard rock wells. Quantitative support for epas finding of no widespread. Disclaimer the views expressed in these proceedings are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the us environmental protection agency epa. Epa s study on the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources on march 18, 2010, at the request of the u. Concerns also have been raised about the ultimate outcome of chemicals that are recovered and disposed of as wastewater. Cooley is a recipient of the environmental protection agencys. In may 2012, the state of vermont became the first state to outlaw hydraulic fracturing and new york state, which unlike vermont has significant gas reserves, banned the practice in december 2014.
Epa, hydraulic fracturing activities, drinking water resources, congress, public citizens, potential impacts, oil and gas production wells, hydraulic fracturing water cycle, water acquisition, chemical mixing, well injection, produced water handling, wastewater disposal and reuse. Water requirements for hydraulic fracturing, by shale plays in texas. However, in a pdf file, a table is essentially a series of lines and characters positioned on a page that, when assembled by pdf reading software, appear as a table to the end user. Horizontal drilling in black shale with highvolume hydraulic fracturing. Epa science advisory board hydraulic fracturing research. Hydraulic fracturing drinking water assessment by the numbers author. Water needs and availability for hydraulic fracturing in.
Study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on. Study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas on drinking water resources. Water needs and availability for hydraulic fracturing in the bakken formation, eastern montana mitch plummer 1, thomas wood, h. Oil and gas drilling in new york state otsego county. Hydraulic fracturing was exempted from underground injection controls of the safe drinking water act. Study of the the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Water requirements for hydraulic fracturing, by shale plays in texas 16. Environmental protection agency epa released a draft report titled assessment of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas on drinking water resources epa draft assessment epa 2015a. Epa evaluated that potential based on two possible mechanisms.
Assessment of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing study timeline pdf 1 pg, 1 mb contact us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Paul anastass statement on the release of plan as prepared for delivery november 2011 pdf. Waste and production files downloaded for marcellusunconventional wells, july 2009.
Image j henry fair flights provided by lighthawk executive summary people rely on clean and plentiful water re sources to meet their basic needs, includ ing drinking, bathing and cooking. Epas study of hydraulic fracturing and its potential impact on drinking water resources. Environmental protection agency epa is conducting a. The assessment identified potential causes of drinking water impairment, and evaluated the extent to which hydraulic fracturing has been identified as a cause of impairment.
Environmental justice in hydraulic fracturing analysis. The contractors role did not include establishing agency policy. An extended overview of the history of the fracturing technology is presented. Presents an uptodate description of current and new hydraulic fracturing processes. Analysis of hydraulic fracturing fluid data from the fracfocus chemical disclosure registry 1. Epa analysis of fracfocus 1 data fact sheet epas study. The source microsoft excel files, as uploaded by the operators, contained data in tables. Handbook of hydraulic fracturing wiley online books. Details emerging technologies such as fracture treatment design, open hole fracturing, screenless completions, sand control, fracturing completions and productivity. Natural gas plays a key role in our nations clean energy.
Study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. The us epa published its draft assessment of the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Technical roundtables on epas study of the potential. The key maps, and environmental justice analysis of those maps, will be incorporated into the epa hydraulic fracturing study report in 2012. The epa s study includes research on hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas and oil. Hydraulic fracturing and water resources pacific institute. Natural gas development in central new york colgate university. Evaluation of geology and water well data associated with the epa hydraulic fracturing retrospective case study, bradford county, pa.
Presented at us epa technical workshop for the hydraulic fracturing study. Evaluation of geology and water well data associated with. Based on its research, epa concluded that the injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into cbm wells poses little or no threat to usdws and did not justify additional study at the time of the. Hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas impacts from the hydraulic fracturing water cycle on drinking water resources in the united. Impacts of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas on drinking water resources. Hydraulic fracturing has enabled oil and gas production to expand into areas of the united states. Hydraulic fracturing tort litigation summary february 6, 2020 blake watson samuel a. Aerial photograph of hydraulic fracturing well sites near williston, north dakota. These fractures increase the exposed surface area of the rock in the formation and, in turn, stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil to the wellbore. Shale gas and groundwater quality publications deltares. Unless oil and gas service companies use diesel in the hydraulic fracturing process, the permanent underground injection of chemicals used for hydraulic fracturing is not regulated by the environmental protection agency epa. Metesh 1 idaho national laboratory 2 montana bureau of mines and geology water needed for energy developments in the mountain west may. In the past decade, energy companies have learned to tap previously inaccessible oil and gas in shale with hydraulic fracturing fracturing or fracking, pumping fluid at high pressure to crack the shale and release gas and oil trapped inside.
Hydraulic fracturing study timeline pdf epas study of. Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is a process that uses. The gwpc and the iogcc provided the epa with over 39,000 pdf. Hydraulic fracturing is a stimulation technique used to increase oil and gas. The epa would like to acknowledge the ground water protection council and the interstate oil and gas compact commission for providing data and information for this report.
On december 16, 2016, epa hosted public webinars on the final assessment report, hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas. Hydraulic fracturing and shale gas production alternative fuels. Environmental protection agency, december, 2016 webinar. How, where, and its role in oil and gas article pdf available in journal american water works association 10611. Congress, epa announced plans to develop a comprehensive research study on the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Better for the environment and the economy 5,280 ft 1 mile 7,920 ft 1. The epa defines the broader process to include acquisition of source water, well construction, well stimulation, and waste disposal. Other concerns include competition for water between hydraulic fracturing activities and other water users, especially in areas of the country experiencing drought, and the disposal of wastewater generated from hydraulic fracturing. Scoping materials for initial design of epa research study on potential relationships between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources pdf march 2010 other materials dr. Data in the disclosures were extracted from individual pdf files and compiled into a microsoft access 20 database, which was used for analyses. As the use of hydraulic fracturing has increased, so have concerns about its potential environmental and human health impacts. Hydraulic fracturing for onshore natural gas from shale and tight rocks information received from proponents on the basis of the requirements included in the attachment to this bulletin see section on information requirements below will guide the epa in its decision to. The first mechanism was the direct injection of fracturing fluids into a usdw in which the coal is located, or injection of fracturing fluids into a coal seam that is already in hydraulic communication with a usdw e.
Titles and descriptions of the research projects conducted as part of the epa s. Analysis of hydraulic fracturing fluid data from the. Epa project database developed from fracfocus 1 disclosures. You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page. Illustration of the structure of the epas study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking. According to the united states environmental protection agency epa, hydraulic fracturing is a process to stimulate a natural gas, oil, or geothermal well to maximize extraction. Also, several municipalities have attempted to ban hydraulic fracturing through zoning restrictions and other local laws, creating potential conflicts with oil and gas industry regulation at the state level. Epa s study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Impacts from the hydraulic fracturing water cycle on drinking water resources. Epas study of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas and.
This 186page document served as the foundation for a statewide ban on high volume hydraulic fracturing. Study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking. Environmental protection agency epa to study the relationship. Results are returned by listing links to individual pdf files.
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