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Next Meeting
The Allegheny Highlands Conservancy
(AHC) holds meetings at various times, focused on important conservation
topics in our region.
Meeting announcements are emailed to members and those
on the AHC interest list, published in local newspapers and posted here on
our web site. The public is
welcome to attend.
The next meeting time and place has not yet
been scheduled.
Current Issues
Marcellus Shale Drilling: Learning More
New
Reference:
No More Drilling in the Dark:
Exposing the Hazards of Natural Gas Production and Protecting America’s Drinking
Water and Wildlife Habitats
By Richard Forest, Energy Specialist, National Wildlife Federation,
August 2011
http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/Global-Warming/2011/11-16-11-No-More-Drilling-in-the-Dark.aspx
All energy development activities have
environmental impacts: we should pursue those energy options that are the least
damaging to human health and the environment, including habitats and wildlife.
Unfortunately, natural gas exploitation is taking place today in a rushed
manner, before all the safeguards have been properly put in place, including
adequate inspection systems and monitoring procedures. This report provides an
overview of unconventional gas drilling and the key concerns and potential
threats that such drilling raises for America’s land, water, air, and wildlife.
It also provides a number of recommendations for addressing and reducing related
environmental impacts.
Governor
O'Malley Announces Study:
On June 6, 2011 Governor O'Malley
signed an Executive Order (Order) establishing the Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling
Initiative. The Order requires the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)
and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in consultation with an advisory
commission made up of a broad array of stakeholders, to undertake a study of
drilling for natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in Western Maryland. "While we
are mindful of the potential economic and energy benefits that could arise from
the production of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale reserves in Maryland, we
are also very concerned about an array of issues that have been raised regarding
the use of hydraulic fracturing to extract this fuel," said Governor O'Malley.
"Our decisions must be guided by scientific knowledge about the effects of this
type of drilling to ensure that we protect public safety and health,
groundwater, surface water, and the rural lifestyle and natural resources in
Maryland."
Under the Executive Order, the study will be conducted in three parts:
1) A presentation of
findings and related recommendations regarding the desirability of legislation
to establish revenue sources, such as a State-level severance tax, and the
desirability of legislation to establish standards of liability for damages
caused by gas exploration and production. These findings and recommendations
will be made by December 31, 2011.
2) Recommendations for best
practices for all aspects of natural gas exploration and production in the
Marcellus Shale in Maryland by August 1, 2012.
3) A final report which
will include findings and recommendations relating to the impact of Marcellus
Shale drilling including possible contamination of groundwater, handling and
disposal of wastewater, environmental impacts, impacts to forests and important
habitats, greenhouse gas emissions and economic impact. This report will be
issued no later than August 1, 2014.
The Study will also include a
review of available results from studies on the issue being done by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S.
Department of Energy, the State of New York, and the Delaware River Basin
Commission, among others. Membership in the advisory committee is designed to
ensure that the study includes individuals from the drilling industry, Western
Maryland where Marcellus Shale reserves are located and members of the
environmental community. The advisory commission will include: an expert on
geology or natural gas production from a college or university; a private
citizen from Western Maryland; representatives from the gas industry and an
environmental organization; and representatives from Western Maryland local
governments and business.
The production of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale involves deep wells with
long horizontal sections and a process known as hydraulic fracturing. Advances
in technology have helped spur a dramatic increase in the use of this process in
the United States. Exploration for and production of natural gas from the
Marcellus Shale in nearby states have resulted in injuries, well blowouts,
releases of fracturing fluids and methane, spills, fires, forest fragmentation,
road damage, and evidence of contamination to groundwater and surface water.
Other states have revised or are reevaluating their regulatory programs for gas
production or assessing the environmental impacts of gas development from the
Marcellus Shale. State law allows MDE to specify conditions that the Department
deems reasonable and appropriate in a permit to ensure that an operation fully
complies with the law and to provide for public safety and the protection of the
State's natural resources. Maryland law requires that the proposed activity be
subjected to a formal public review and comment process prior to any permit
decision.
http://www.governor.maryland.gov/executiveorders/01.01.2011.11.pdf
Important
References:
Assessing the
Environmental Effects of Marcellus Shale Gas Development: The State of
Science The Pinchot Institute for Conservation - April 2011
“The Marcellus Shale is regarded as an important new source of domestic
energy for the United States, but its development also carries significant
potential for environmental impacts, especially on water quality. The
Pinchot Institute recently convened a technical workshop that examined the
adequacy of existing science to assess cumulative impacts from shale gas
development, as well as the science basis for standards and regulations
aimed at protecting environmental values during development. The workshop
was hosted by the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The Pinchot
Institute also recently released a report on “best management practices” for
minimizing impacts on water quality and biodiversity from shale gas
drilling.”
A concise summary of the information presented at the technical workshop is
available for immediate viewing or download by clicking:
http://www.pinchot.org/gp/EffectsofMarcellusShale
This webpage will provide you with access to the workshop summary, speaker
presentations in downloadable .pdf format, speaker bios and workshop
participant list. The Pinchot Institute report on “best management
practices” for protecting water quality, biodiversity, and other
environmental values during shale gas development can be downloaded at
http://www.pinchot.org/gp/Marcellus_Shale
Effects of Development of a Natural Gas
Well and Associated Pipeline on the Natural and Scientific Resources of the
Fernow Experimental Forest
http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/37268
Please note that this research paper describes
impacts associated with a conventional well in Oriskany sandstone. The size
of the well pad, quantity of fracking fluids, truck traffic, etc. were much
less than those for a gas well in Marcellus Shale, however there were still
many negative impacts.
Report on
Implications of Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling on Conserved Land
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, December 2010
Environmental Research on Natural Gas
Production from the Marcellus Shale
Daniel Soeder, US Department
of Energy, presentation on Jan 6, 2010 at FSU
Sustainability of
Resources in the Fractured-Rock Area of Maryland
http://md.water.usgs.gov/publications/fs-2009-3009/Fractured-Rock%20Fact%20Sheet%202009-3009.pdf
Water Resources and
Natural Gas Production from the Marcellus Shale
http://md.water.usgs.gov/publications/fs-2009-3032/fs-2009-3032.pdf
Fractured Communities:
Case Studies of the Environmental Impacts of Industrial Gas Drilling
http://www.riverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Fractured-Communities-FINAL-September-2010.pdf
Maryland Department of Environment
Fact Sheet
on Marcellus Shale
Drilling Regulations
http://www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/mining/Marcellus_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Marcellus Shale drilling operation in Pennsylvania.
Photo
by PA Department of Environmental Protection
Webinars:
Cornell University
The Economics of Shale Gas Drilling: What are
the Real Consequences?
Susan Christopherson,
J. Thomas Clark Professor, Dept. of City and Regional Planning, Cornell
University - A group of researchers
centered at Cornell University has studied both the short-term (economic
impact) and long-term (economic development) consequences of horizontal
shale gas drilling. Their work has focused on: 1) the pace and scale of
drilling, 2) the cumulative impact of multiple wells and potential costs to
communities and regions, and 3) the challenges of sustainable economic
development under the boom-bust cycle typical for natural resource
extraction industries. The webinar will report on preliminary findings,
address what Marcellus gas drilling means for economic development and offer
guidance on how to measure and address the local economic consequences of
shale gas development.
This webinar is archived at:
http://breeze.cce.cornell.edu/p87469883/
For more information contact Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman at
hmm1@cornell.edu
Agricultural Potential Impacts from
Marcellus Shale Drilling
This webinar will focus on the potential impacts on agriculture from
Marcellus drilling and how they can be mitigated. George Frantz from Cornell
University, Ken Smith from Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chenango County,
and Judy Wright from the American Farmland Trust will present. The webinar
will be held on Wednesday, May 11 from 1:00 - 3:30 ET. To register to
participate in this webinar, go to or copy into your browser, the following
link:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEpFdXFJUVBlbVlLWjZQMDVKMkZVbEE6MQ
For more information contact Kelly Cronin at:
kec42@cornell.edu
Penn State's College of
Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Cooperative Extension
A
series of webinars on Marcellus Shale issues are available. They
cover a variety of topics ranging from local government's role in gas
exploration to the effects of deep-well drilling methods on water supplies.
The series is targeted at extension educators, federal and state agency
representatives, and interested citizens. Access to high-speed
internet is required for viewing. For more information about this
and other Marcellus Shale webinars visit
http://naturalgas.extension.psu.edu/webinars.htm.
The
following webinars have been previewed and are highly recommended:
Above the Marcellus
Shale - Minimizing Impacts to Forests and Wildlife
Presented by Margaret
Brittingham, Professor of Wildlife Resources and Extension Wildlife
Specialist, at Penn State University.
Treatment/Disposal Options for Wastewaters from Shale Gas
Drilling
and
Water
Use and Water Quality Issues
Both presented Bryan
Swistock, Water Resources Specialist, School of Forest Resources, Penn State
University.
AHC Position on Marcellus Shale Drilling
Please Note:
Since the Garrett County
Commissioners meeting on January 20, several bills have been introduced in the
Maryland House and Senate regarding Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling. The
AHC board of directors has reviewed these, and it appears that House Bill 852
and its companion bill SB 634 (The Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Act of
2011), will provide the most protection for people and the environment.
The
following is AHC's letter dated January 20, 2011 to the Garrett County
Commissioners concerning Marcellus Shale drilling. Copies have been sent
to Governor O'Malley, Senator Edwards, Delegate Beitzel, DNR Secretary Griffin
and MDE Acting Secretary Summers. Please feel free to contact us, if you have
any questions regarding AHC's letter.
The board of the
Allegheny Highlands Conservancy (AHC) understands that the extraction
of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation offers an opportunity for
some Garrett County landowners to enhance the income generated from their
property. For certain landowners, income received from natural gas leases may
make the difference between remaining solvent versus having to sell or
subdivide their property. At the same time, the potential negative
environmental impacts of gas extraction are cause for concern. In particular,
possible adverse impacts to water resources, including water withdrawals for
fracking and surface and groundwater contamination from flowback fluids, and
the potential loss of forests and farmland to drilling sites and pipeline
rights-of-way are worrisome, especially because these impacts are likely to
extend beyond an individual’s property to adjacent properties. Objective
analyses of Marcellus Shale gas extraction provided by the U. S. Department of
Energy, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Penn State
University Cooperative Extension, have highlighted these potential problems
and have indicated that more research is needed to fully understand the
consequences of utilizing this resource.
AHC’s board believes it is
critical to take the time to research the potential impacts of Marcellus Shale
natural gas extraction so that all appropriate regulatory safeguards can be
put in place before permits are issued in Garrett County. Garrett County and
the State of Maryland must be pro-active so that when Marcellus Shale natural
gas extraction begins, it is done in the safest, most responsible manner
possible. Reasonable property owners will want to make sure that the entire
drilling process is done in such a way that their land, their neighbors’ land,
their watersheds, and their aquifers are fully protected. Therefore, we ask
that you request a moratorium, a temporary suspension, on Marcellus
Shale natural gas drilling, to allow time for Garrett County and the State of
Maryland to put in place a rigorous, comprehensive regulatory program that
protects groundwater, surface water, forests, and farmland for all citizens
before natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale formation
proceeds.
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