Marcellus Shale
The Marcellus Shale is a significant geological formation located beneath the Allegheny Plateau, covering approximately 95,000 square miles across states such as West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and parts of Ohio and Maryland. It is rich in natural gas, which has recently become accessible through advanced drilling techniques, particularly hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. This method involves drilling vertically to the shale and then horizontally to release gas by creating fractures using a mixture of water, chemicals, and sand.
The economic potential of the Marcellus Shale has generated support from proponents who argue that it could reduce U.S. dependence on foreign gas, create jobs, and bring tax revenues to rural communities. They point to the cleaner-burning nature of natural gas compared to other fossil fuels, thus presenting it as a more environmentally friendly option. However, the extraction process is contentious, with opponents raising concerns about the potential environmental impacts, particularly regarding water quality and human health.
Critics argue that hydraulic fracturing poses risks, such as water contamination from chemicals used in the process, leading to health issues in nearby populations. They call for more research and regulation to address these risks, illustrating a complex debate over the benefits and dangers associated with tapping into this abundant natural resource.
Marcellus Shale
Summary: The Marcellus Shale is a geological formation that holds a vast amount of natural gas that has been a boon for US energy markets. However, exploitation of this resource is mired in controversy over the safety of hydraulic fracturing.
The Marcellus Shale is a geological formation found under the Allegheny Plateau. It is rich in natural gas that can be accessed only through a controversial drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing. Supporters argue that the Marcellus Shale gas will help the United States reduce its dependence on foreign gas and bring needed jobs and revenue to rural areas; they further maintain that hydraulic fracturing is a safe and reliable process. Opponents argue that unknown environmental and human health impacts caused by drilling outweigh the short-term benefits of natural gas supply and that more study should be done to ensure the safety of drilling practices.
Description
The Marcellus Shale is sedimentary bedrock of organic-rich black shale located under the Allegheny Plateau and is about 95,000 square miles in area. The bulk of the Marcellus Shale sits under West Virginia, western and northern Pennsylvania, and southern New York, although it is also under western Virginia, western Maryland, and eastern Ohio. The Marcellus Shale is largely found deep underground, as deep as 7,000 feet or more. The shale contains pockets of natural gas that have only recently become accessible through advanced drilling techniques. It is difficult to estimate precisely how much natural gas can be extracted. Estimates also vary widely on how much natural gas the Marcellus Shale contains, ranging from 50 trillion to 500 trillion cubic feet.
Hydraulic Fracturing
Natural gas is extracted from the Marcellus Shale by a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, also known simply as fracking. A horizontal well is made by drilling vertically down to the depth of the Marcellus Shale, encasing the shaft to prevent chemicals from leaking, and then drilling horizontal lines out through the rock bed. This allows the drilling of a larger area underground from one well, arguably resulting in more gas produced from a small surface footprint. A combination of water, chemicals, and sand are sent down the well at high pressure to create fractures in the shale to release the gas. Up to 5 million gallons of water may be used in the hydraulic fracturing of each well, some of which is reused and some of which is left in the ground. The process of hydraulic fracturing and the chemicals involved are at the core of the controversy.
Economic and Development Potential
The greatest potential for developing Marcellus Shale gas is in Pennsylvania. Supporters claim that natural gas development in rural communities will bring much-needed tax revenues to states, jobs to rural communities, and revenues from leasing and royalties to struggling landowners. The areas with the greatest potential for drilling extend well into regions of economic stagnation. Some landowners and farmers report that without profits from leases and royalties, they might have decided to sell their farms. Drilling companies claim that by bringing revenue to rural areas, they are helping to preserve farming and rural ways of life that have been under threat.
The natural gas industry and supporters believe that the Marcellus Shale can secure the United States’ energy supply by reducing reliance on imported natural gas. Natural gas is also a cleaner-burning fuel and, thus, has less negative environmental impact compared to other fossil fuels. It can be used to fuel electric power plants and is more efficient than coal with lower greenhouse gas emissions. The prospect of having such an abundant reserve so close to the massive energy markets of East Coast cities has attracted investment in Marcellus Shale gas development from global players, not just investment from American firms, including Indian, Japanese, and Norwegian companies that recognize the vast potential profits to be made.
Environmental Impact and Opposition
Opponents believe that hydraulic fracturing damages water quality and human health. This is of concern in rural Pennsylvania, where private wells are common, and the state is one of the few states lacking any private well regulation. It is difficult to prove the source of well-water contamination. Chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing are known to be injurious to human health; some are known carcinogens. Opponents argue that such chemicals should not be injected deep into the ground, where they could find a way into drinking water sources; opponents also contest the safety of how wastewater removed from the well is processed. They lobby for the suspension of hydraulic fracturing, demand that more research be done to protect water supplies, and insist on full disclosure of chemicals being used at specific sites. Gas may also leak into water supplies; some have reported being able to set their tap water on fire. Some rural families dependent on well water now buy and store water for all their needs out of fear that their water is originating from contaminated wells.
In August 2010, New York passed a moratorium on issuing new well permits to allow time for a thorough environmental review. In October of that year, Pennsylvania’s governor Ed Rendell issued an executive order banning new natural gas development on state forest lands in response to criticisms that unchecked industrialization was occurring on public lands and disturbing forested areas. Although this move protects the state’s public lands, the vast majority of natural gas development is on private, not state, land.
Studies in the early 2020s found a link between fracking and childhood cancer, as well as respiratory and endocrine disorders in the elderly. Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found that children living in Pennsylvania near fracking wells were two to three times more likely to develop a form of childhood leukemia than their peers who lived farther away. The study also showed that elderly people living near wells were more likely to die prematurely. Other studies had similar findings.
Bibliography
Hurdle, Jon. "As Evidence Mounts, New Concerns About Fracking and Health." Yale Environment 360, Yale School of the Environment, 17 Nov. 2022, e360.yale.edu/features/fracking-gas-chemicals-health-pennsylvania. Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.
Navarro, Mireya. “N.Y. Senate Approves Fracking Moratorium.” The New York Times. August 4, 2010. green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/n-y-senate-approves-fracking-moratorium/. Accessed 7 Aug. 2024.
Zeller, Tom, Jr. “Governor Bans New Gas Wells on State Land.” The New York Times. October 26, 2010. green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/pennsylvania-governor-bans-fracking-in-state-forests/. Accessed 7 Aug. 2024.