Over 40 Al Hazzard TU chapter members and guests filled the Vestal Library public meeting room on Tuesday night to hear Katy Dunlap, Eastern Water Project Director for Trout Unlimited, talk about gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Most in the audience were at least aware of the issue and its impact on the environment, but no one left the meeting without a deeper perspective and understanding of this issue and TU’s approach to minimizing its environmental impact.
Katy started her presentation with an overview of the drilling that has been going on in Pennsylvania - the biggest gas play in the U.S. According to Dunlap, the extensive Marcellus Shale formation was once thought to be inaccessible to gas companies. A recent innovation in horizontal drilling called “fracking,” which involves injecting water, sand and toxic chemicals deep into the shale layer at high pressure, has now made it possible for drillers to tap the vast gas reserves of the Marcellus Shale.
It is said, “There’s no free lunch”, and gas extraction is no exception. Katy explained that each well that is drilled can require from 2 to 8 million gallons of water to facilitate the extraction of gas. The wastewater that is expelled over time - 10% to 40% by some estimates, but potentially as high as 90% - can contain chemicals, heavy metals, radioactive materials, and saltwater, that is largely untreatable. Additional negative impacts seen in Pennsylvania are:
- Spills, leaks, and illegal discharges
- Storm water runoff / sedimentation
- Wastewater storage
- Fragmented forests
- Soil compaction and truck traffic
- Air, noise and light pollution
TU's mission is to protect, conserve and restore coldwater resources in light of Marcellus Shale gas drilling. Katy commented that TU is not adamantly opposed to drilling – it just wants it done right. TU is no stranger to oil and gas development. It has well over a decade of experience in the West and is now working to ensure that as Marcellus Shale gas drilling moves forward in the East, coldwater fisheries and habitat are not harmed. While natural gas development has the potential to provide the nation with a cleaner energy source, an appraisal of the impacts is needed to fully realize the trade-off in terms of adverse effects.
PA’s record is not so good. Katy showed examples of poor well drilling / management practices; from substandard access roads and inadequate erosion and sedimentation control, to poorly located well pads and spills on PA creeks and streams. The DEP website shows that there were over 1,218 violations by drillers or their subcontractors in 2010 alone. And those, as Katy pointed out, are the ones that we know about. While they’re doing their best to keep up, PA’s DEP faces higher numbers of applications and inspections, with limited resources. The first Marcellus Shale gas well was drilled in Pennsylvania in Washington County in 2005. Since then, more than 1,200 wells have been drilled in the state. Additionally:
- 3,314 Marcellus well permits were issued in 2010 – a 67% increase over 2009
- 24% of inspections resulted in violations
- 25% of those violations resulted in enforcements
Appalachia is still reeling from century-old impacts of the energy industry, including acid mine drainage issues from coal mines and the devastating ecological impacts of mountain top removal activities. Even with the best environmental standards in place, the sheer number of projected gas wells in the Marcellus Shale is likely to have an impact on the region’s coldwater fisheries habitat. These impacts are not only environmental – they also affect the economy built up to support hunting and fishing activities.
Katy also presented an overview on the Coldwater Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Sportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation - two examples of how TU is partnering with sportsmen to put boots on the ground to ensure that gas drilling does not impact special watersheds. The CCC is the joint effort of Trout Unlimited (National) and the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited to develop and implement a stream surveillance program which will train volunteers to monitor water resources, conduct visual assessments, and report violations of state laws to appropriate state agencies. Volunteers provide an extra set of eyes and ears on the ground, making sure special watersheds and our coldwater resources are protected. They also help to establish a baseline from which scientists can base appraisals as to whether the environment is in danger as a result of gas drilling. The Sportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation is a coalition of sportsmen groups across the Marcellus Shale region with a common purpose to identify and propose solutions to mitigate the impacts from gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing on hunting, fishing and trapping experiences.
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