What the frack?

We're currently facing an energy crisis. Sooner or later, the fossil fuels we depend on for energy are going to be used up. We need alternatives. We also need to decrease our dependency on foreign oil, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and create jobs. So what should we do?

Obviously the answer is to temporarily fix the problem by investing in another non-renewable resource-natural gas.

The debate is heating up over whether or not we should be tapping into natural gas reserves that are otherwise locked away in bedrock if not for the technique of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Fracking is done by drilling a well down into the bedrock, and injecting the well with "fracturing fluid" at a high pressure to crack open the bedrock and allow access to the natural gas. The "fracturing fluid" is compromised of mostly water (what a great use of our water resources) and sand, but also contains chemicals, some of which are harmless, while others are toxic or have an unknown status (that sounds totally safe).

I came across an article that reported on how wells near a fracking site in Pennsylvania had high enough levels of methane to the point where the water was flammable (the article contains a link to the scientific study which reported those results). The levels of methane in the private wells increased the closer they were to the injection well. The study also looked at the isotope signatures of the methane in the private wells and concluded that the methane in the private wells closest to the injection well was not of biological origin (methane that comes from biological activity can sometimes be naturally present in drinking water), and instead from the same layers of gas that was being tapped into. While methane is not believed to be harmful to drink, it is dangerous, because it's flammable and can cause asphyxiation. The study also tested for indicators of the chemicals present in the fracturing fluid, but did not find any.

On the other hand, a study funded by the natural gas company Chesapeake Appalachia (this also contains a link to the original report) and done by an independent group found that none of the nearby private wells were affected by the fracking.

This problem sometimes comes up in science: two (or more) different groups can perform similar studies and have different conclusions. But you have to take into consideration all of the variable when it comes to comparing studies: differences in location, differences in data collection, differences in analysis, differences in spatial and temporal scale.... the list goes on.

I'm no expert in groundwater or fracking, but using the basics that I learned in school, I can make a few generalizations.

• Groundwater movement is slow and dynamic. It could take years for these chemicals to show up in nearby wells. 
• You could have the best groundwater model available, and see where the contaminants will go, but you can never completely model an open system- there are too many variables.
• Maybe these chemicals are at a low level and show no adverse effects now, but who knows what will happen 20 years down the road? Look at what happened with DDT and Agent Orange. We didn't realize how detrimental those chemicals were until there was a lot of damage.
• The total stress on bedrock is affected by the fluid pressure. Therefore, blasting the bedrock with water at high pressure is going to add stress. What happens when enough stress accumulates? Oh that's right, earthquakes.

During my nightly news reading, I came across 2 cases where experts think that fracking may have influenced seismic activity. In Arkansas and England there was an increase in earthquakes near the injection wells, albeit small earthquakes, around 1 or 2 on the Richter Scale. However what's stopping those small minor earthquakes from adding stress to other areas?

Experts are not yet ready to say that the earthquakes near the injection wells in Arkansas or England were definitely caused by the fracking activities. It is likely that that is the case however, since it has already been documented that fracking can cause seismic activity.

Add in the damage done to the environment for the infrastructure needed to support fracking..... and I just think it's a poor idea.