EPA Final Fracking Report (May) Say Fracking Doesn’t Harm Water
In 2015 the federal Environmental Protection Agency, after spending four years to evaluate 950 studies on hydraulic fracturing, conducted nine of their own original studies, and came to the conclusion that there is no “widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water” from fracking (see EPA Draft Report Says Fracking Doesn’t Pollute Groundwater Supplies). That finding caused anti-fossil fuel wackos to become apoplectic. Antis immediately began a campaign of bullying and intimidation against the EPA to get them to change the finding. That is, to cheat. It looked like it was working when the EPA appointed a special, stacked panel to review the original draft report, and (unsurprisingly) they questioned the original finding (see Will EPA Whore Itself to Antis and Change Fracking Water Study?). The final report is due to be released soon–before the Obamadroids leave town in January. Everyone is waiting to see what the EPA will say in the final report. Interestingly to us, the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) says the EPA will “likely” stick to the original conclusion–that fracking does not contaminate groundwater…
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We’re always leery when we read about scientists doing data mining instead of real in-the-field research. So our radar was on alert when we read about the latest data mining project now under way at Penn State. Using a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, a cross-disciplinary team of Penn State computer scientists and geoscientists will study methane concentrations in the Pennsylvania’s streams, rivers and private water wells. They will look to see if wells and streams and rivers close to fracked Marcellus Shale wells have higher concentrations of methane than those not close to shale wells. In other words, does fracking cause methane to migrate into nearby water sources? That’s what they’re trying to prove, or disprove. The problem, from our perspective, is whether or not the data being analyzed contains readings of methane levels present in those wells, streams and rivers BEFORE any kind of shale drilling happened. If you don’t have the before and after, the data is useless. Drillers have discovered where the best locations are to drill–so that’s where they drill. (Brilliant, we know.) So it stands to reason naturally occurring methane already exists in those locations. Just because a nearby well or stream has higher levels of methane does not prove a shale well caused it. The methane may have already existed in the same quantities long before any shale drilling. You see the problem? At any rate, here’s the lowdown on another million dollar research project to give the Marcellus yet another anal exam…
The world’s third largest oilfield services company, Baker Hughes, has struggled to stay afloat given the radical reduction in revenue they get for the services they offer. BH’s recent third quarter update showed the company lost $430 million, which is down from losing $912 million in 3Q15, a positive sign we suppose (see 
As MDN reported in September, the Maryland Dept. of the Environment (MDE) beat the Oct. 1 deadline to release onerous new fracking regulations (see 
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe recently approved changes to environmental regulations that requires “mandatory disclosure of fracking chemicals, baseline water testing and monitoring, and spill prevention and response planning.” While leftie Big Green groups love the new rules, the drilling industry is working to ensure trade secrets (exact combinations of chemicals) can’t be discovered by using Freedom of Information Act laws. The big news, for MDN, is that with the enactment of these new rules (see a copy below), it appears shale fracking is a huge step closer to happening in the Old Dominion…
Donald Trump’s victory in winning the presidency–whether you voted for him or not–is a victory for the oil and gas industry. Fracking is now not in danger of being banned, as it would have been with Hillary Clinton. The Washington “swamp” (“wetland” for greenies) as Trump and his running mate Mike Pence call it–is about to get drained. That includes the rogue, out-of-control Environmental Protection Agency, among others. Radical environmentalists are shocked and suicidal. We’re delighted! The people of this country have spoken…
In May MDN told you about a group of brave landowners in Wayne County, PA who have had their property rights stolen by the Delaware River Basin Commission (see 
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently launched a “What If…?” series to counter the radical “keep it in the ground” movement–a movement that irrationally hates the use of fossil fuels. In August the Chamber released their first such report, titled “What If…Energy Production was Banned on Federal Lands and Waters?” (see 
We laugh every time we read about peak oil and peak natural gas theorists, and mainstream “reporters” from places like the New York Times trumpeting that any day now natural gas is going to peter out. It’s just a flash in the pan. “Everybody” knows that shale wells are weak, pathetic performers than run out of juice almost as fast as their drilled. We’ve read stories about how shale drilling is a ponzi scheme. We’ve read stories that very soon we’ll run out of new places to drill, and then it’s all over. Except…except it’s all not true. None other than the U.S. Energy Information Administration has just posted a brief article that details, using real research, that horizontally drilled shale wells are MORE productive over the long-term than conventional wells. That is, they are more productive for longer than a conventional well. But that won’t stop the peakers and ponzi schemers from pedaling their pap…
The 16,000-member Pennsylvania Medical Society is controlled by a small and dedicated group of radical leftists. They’re also shockingly stupid, for doctors and medical people (you might want to seek medical care in another state). The PA Medical Society’s 300-member House of Delegates voted unanimously to pass a resolution calling for a total ban on fracking in the Keystone State. Stop it–all of it–right now. That’s what they said. Even though there is no evidence that fracking harms human health. That is, independent studies done all say the same thing: fracking is safe. However, biased bought-and-paid-for studies say fracking will kill ‘ya. We find it astonishing that there was not one single delegate who didn’t vote for the resolution–which proves our point that radical, lock-step lefties control the society…
Here’s a story you have to go to a non-US (i.e. objective) newspaper to find. Stephen Tindale is a “lifelong green” and once ran the organization Greenpeace, for five years. He’s written and published an op-ed in the UK Sun titled, “As a lifelong Green, I’M convinced fracking’s the only solution to energy problems.” You read that right! Here’s someone with a brain–someone willing to open his mind and willing to objectively view the evidence before his eyes. And what does he see? Fracking shale formations is the answer, not the problem. Here’s what he said last week…
For years now the radical Park Park Foundation has been buying its research from a few select professors at a few select universities. One of the scientists for sale is Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment (see 
It’s been 10 looooooong years, but finally the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has just posted a lease sale auction for 33 parcels in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest (WNF). Although there are some 18,000 acres under consideration for leasing by the BLM in WNF, this first batch amounts to about 1,600 acres–most of it in Monroe County, OH. Monroe is a prime location for Utica Shale drilling. WNF is the only national forest in Ohio and portions of it are found in Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Lawrence, Perry, Scioto, Vinton, and Washington counties. WNF is a “patchwork” of public land scattered among private land. Some 60% of the mineral rights below WNF are privately owned. Those mineral rights owners have been denied the use of their property rights for a decade. The BLM controls drilling on federally-protected lands like WNF. Last November the BLM held a series of hearings about finally beginning to drill in WNF. With this auction, it appears that not only will public land get leased, but drilling on private land in WNF can go forward as well…
Over the past six months or so MDN has repeatedly read about drillers in the Marcellus/Utica drilling longer laterals (the horizontal part of the well) and using way more sand to keep the cracks propped open longer. And between longer laterals and more sand, drillers in the northeast are getting higher output from their wells. So it was with some interest (and skepticism) that we read about new research that says longer laterals don’t lead to greater production totals. The research is from a respected source: Bernstein Research. However, the data used was only from the Barnett Shale–so it’s not clear to us how relevant the findings are for northeast drillers. Here’s what the research says…