On March 20, the Department of the Interior released new standards for hydraulic fracturing set by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that aim to increase the safety and responsibility of fracking on U.S. public lands. Given the numerous and notoriously nasty problems associated with hydraulic fracturing, these stricter regulations are indeed a step up from current practices, and compromise the wants of the fracking industry and fracking opponents. However, this is only one step toward the right direction. While these new rules serve to increase public health and environmental protection, the long term solution to our energy woes will not be discovered through higher regulations on fracking. The end goal remains a transition to renewable energy as the primary global source of energy.
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, is the process of extracting natural gas through fracturing underground rock formations. Wells are drilled up to thousands of feet deep into the earth, and fluids consisting of water and chemicals are pumped down the wellbores at high pressure, causing the rock to fracture. After these fractures are stabilized using chemicals and proppants, such as sand or other small incompressible particles, the earlier fluid and the desired energy-rich hydrocarbons from the rock flow through the wellbore back up to the surface. This fluid, called “flowback”, is treated, and the extracted hydrocarbons are separated from the remaining waste fluid, which is typically sent back underground. Several problems have been identified with this process. A huge energy input is necessary, largely in the form of millions of liters of water used to drill the well and fracture the rock. Surface water and drinking water sources are contaminated by the discharged waste fluid that are disposed of underground, as well as inadequately constructed wells. Toxic air pollutants and greenhouse gases are released throughout the process. Fracking has even been linked to causing earthquakes. And with fracking occurring in over 90% of all wells currently being drilled on U.S. public lands, hazards from the fracking process are magnified on a national scale.
The BLM attempts to address these problems in their new requirements. Overall, they seek to increase wellbore quality, improve the quality of operations, protect water sources, and increase disclosure of the chemicals used. The BLM now requires all operators planning on conducting fracking to report the geology of the surrounding area, how much water will be used, and the estimated length and depth of the fractures. Operators must also monitor the wellbore pressure and the cementing process, take action if cementing is inadequate, ensure the integrity of their process by performing a mechanical integrity test (MIT) before fracking begins, manage flowback fluid in storage tanks with specific safety parameters, and state the chemicals they are using (perhaps with the exception of “trade secrets”), and document all of these actions.
There is no question that hydraulic fracturing needs tighter regulations. As stated by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, “current federal well-drilling regulations are more than 30 years old and they simply have not kept pace with the technical complexities of today’s hydraulic fracturing operations.” Gasland, a movie released in 2010 about fracking, documents the impacts of fracking on communities near drilling sites, depicting the horrors such as being able to light one’s faucet water on fire (the water’s high chemical concentration causing it to be flammable). But as much as these communities would enjoy a shift away from fracking, policy around energy is complicated. In the United States, there is an atmosphere of growing desire for efficient energy that is non-polluting and sustainable. However, reliability remains the American consumer’s number one priority for energy, and widespread fracking is a convenient way for the U.S. to become less reliant on foreign sources of oil. Additionally, attention to the use and research of alternative sources of energy, such as wind, solar, geothermic, and hydroelectric power, is greatly affected by political cycles. For example, the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) that incentivized the use of alternative power was passed in 1978, a time where politicians and policymakers focused on environmental-related issues due to public interest. However, within the next decade, political involvement declined, and research money was slowly withdrawn. Interest in changing our energy habits has had a history of being inconsistent.
But there is hope yet. In American and Western society, there seems to be a growing trend of supporting and accepting the use of alternative energy. Wind turbines are no longer an uncommon sight. The American Wind Energy Institute (AWEI) reported that in 2008, the capacity of wind power in Texas surpassed that of California, a state known for its extensive incorporation of environmentally-friendly practices and technology. This growing trend in sustainable energy is exactly what we need for a sustainable future. The BLM’s new fracking standards potentially, and hopefully, decrease the harm of fracking. If alternative energy can become more prominent in energy policy, we’re on the right track to brighter energy future.
Sources:
1. Chameides, B. "Fracking Waste Wells Linked to Ohio Earthquakes."
2. Vaughn, J. (2011). Chapter 6: The Politics of Energy. Environmental Politics: Domestic and Global Dimensions, Wadsworth. 6: 168-172.
3. (2014). "The Process of Hydraulic Fracturing." Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www2.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing/process-hydraulic-fracturing.
4. (2015). "Hydraulic Fracturing ("Fracking") FAQs." http://www.usgs.gov/faq/categories/10132/3824
5. (2015). "Interior Department Releases Final Rule to Support Safe, Responsible Hydraulic Fracturing Activities on Public and Tribal Lands." Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://interior.gov/news/pressreleases/interior-department-releases-final-rule-to-support-safe-responsible-hydraulic-fracturing-activities-on-public-and-tribal-lands.cfm.
6. (2015). Oil and Gas; Hydraulic Fracturing on Federal and Indian Lands. B. o. L. M. Department of the Interior. 80: 16128-16129.
7. GASLAND Trailer 2010. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZe1AeH0Qz8.
8. Image: http://grotonspace.com/pipeline/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/fracking-diagram-simple.jpg
9. Image:
http://america.aljazeera.com/content/dam/ajam/images/articles_2014/04/drought_fracking_ca_040914.jpg