The Real Cost of Fracking (34 page)

15
. N.R. Warner et al., “Geochemical Evidence for Possible Natural Migration of Marcellus Formation Brine to Shallow Aquifers in Pennsylvania,”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA
109 (2013): 11961–66.

16
. C.D. Volz, “Natural Gas Drilling, Public Health and Environmental Impacts,” Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and Its Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife, Joint Hearing, 2011.

17
. N.R. Warner, C.A. Christie, R.B. Jackson, and A. Vengosh, “Impacts of Shale Gas Wastewater Disposal on Water Quality in Western Pennsylvania,”
Environonmental Science and Technology
47 (2013): 11849–57.

18
. K.M. Keranen, H.M. Savage, G.A. Abers, and E.S. Cochran, “Potentially Induced Earthquakes in Oklahoma, USA: Links Between Wastewater Injection and the 2011 Mw 5.7 Earthquake Sequence,”
Geology
41 (2013): 699–702.

19
. W.L. Ellsworth et al., “Are Seismicity Rate Changes in the Midcontinent Natural or Manmade?” abstract of presentation given at Seismological Society of America, San Diego, April 18, 2012,
http://tinyurl.com/7on2klp/
.

20
. Tight Oil Reservoirs California 2012, “Monterey & Surrounding Sediments,”
www.tight-oil-monterey-california-2012.com/
.

21
. D. Rogers, “Shale and Wall Street: Was the Decline in Natural Gas Prices Orchestrated?” February 2013,
http://shalebubble.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SWS-report-FINAL.pdf
.

22
. Barth, “The Economic Impact of Shale Gas Development.”

23
. D. Overbye, “Two Promising Places to Live, 1,200 Light-Years from Earth,”
New York Times
, April 18, 2013,
www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/science/space/2-new-planets-are-most-earth-like-yet-scientists-say.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
.

INDEX

Please note that page numbers are not accurate for the e-book edition.

1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane, 43

1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 43

1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, 51, 158

2-butanone, 80

2-butoxyethanol, 26, 62, 122, 186

2-methylnapthalene, 60

acetone, 158

acrolein, 46

Act 13, Pennsylvania, 49–50, 151, 176

aerators: benzene release from, 53; health consequences from using, 46–47; in impoundments, 41, 55, 60

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 61

air contamination: air-quality impact of industrial traffic, 39–40; chemicals released during gas-flaring operations, 52–53, 103, 161–62; contamination of food animals from, 103–4; displacement of a family due to, 55–56; flaring’s impact on air quality, 63, 161–62; odors from wastewater, 46, 57–58, 138, 165, 168–69; presence of benzene throughout drilling operations, 52–53; testing practices for, 29, 41–43, 80

Alberta, Canada, sour gas in, 5

Albrecht, Glenn, 83

ammonia, 51

animal health effects of drilling operations, 2, 5, 7; birth defects, 48, 142–43; blow-out hazards to plants and wildlife, 72–73, 131, 136, 142; breeding problems, 67, 75–77, 145; in chickens, 79; difficulty in determining the cause of illnesses, 35–36, 104–5; drilling company’s offer of help, 37–38; evidence of wildlife illnesses due to access to wastewater, 117, 119–20; financial effects of herd losses, 14; illness and death of a horse, 36–37; illnesses in Bradford County, 74; illness of a family’s dog, 34–36; potential causes of the death of calves, 142–44; quarantine of cattle after a spill, 114–16; reproductive problems, 5, 7, 104, 123–24, 144, 146; veterinary medicine issues surrounding accountability, 14–15; vulnerability to environmental hazards, 10–11, 16, 19–20

aquifers: and contamination, 189; flooding due to fracturing process, 157; hazards beyond drilling locations, 50, 166; risks from hydraulic fracturing process, 6–7, 23–24, 160, 186, 188–89, 190

arsenic, 51, 75, 103

ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry), 61

bactericides, 29, 43

Bainbridge Island, Washington, 178

Bakken Formation, North Dakota, 5, 184

barium, 51, 115, 124

Barth, Janette, 192

bentonite, 159

benzene, 23, 43, 52–53, 54, 55, 115, 161, 182

Bidermann, Josie: air-quality determination by, 41–43; background, 31–34; birth defects in her animals, 48; continuation of health problems, 62–63; health of her horses, 34, 36–37; legal actions taken by, 55–56, 62; loss of her dogs, 34–36, 48; quality of life before drilling operations, 63; verification of water contamination by, 60–62; and water testing by PADEP, 49–51.
See also
drilling’s impact on neighboring properties

biocides, 46, 144, 187

birth defects in animals, 48, 142–43

Black Warrior Basin, Alabama, 7

blow-outs: chemicals involved, 71–72; ecological consequences of, 71, 188; hazards to plants and wildlife, 72–73, 131, 136, 142; PADEP response to, 91, 142

bovine spongiform encephalopathy, 108

Bradford County, Pennsylvania: aftermath of a chemical blowout in, 71–72; air-test results in, 80; animal illnesses in, 74, 79; contaminants identified in the water of, 75; damage from drilling-fluid spills in, 70; decline in health of residents, 77–78; displacement of residents by drilling operations, 69; dog-breeding problems in, 75–77; drilling’s long-term impact on residents’ lives, 81, 82; financial barriers to medical evaluations, 78; health effects of wastewater spreading in, 79; intimidation of residents, 72, 78; lack of oversight for wastewater spreading in, 79; prevalence of pads in, 73; projected number of wells in, 81; traffic and noise from drilling operations in, 67, 68–69; wastewater penetration into crops and plants in, 72–73; well-water issues of, 74–75.
See also
Waller, Samantha, and Jesse Klein

breeding problems in animals, 67, 75–77, 112, 145

Brockovich, Erin, 25

bromodichloromethane, 50

BTEX, 43, 161

butane, 182, 183

butanol, 50

butyl benzyl phthalate, 62

cadmium, 48

Campbell, John Smalley, 3

cancer, 9, 35, 52, 108, 116, 159, 160

carbon tetrachloride, 43, 80

casings, cement, 43, 160, 186

Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, 152

cattle/calves: breeding problems, 112, 145; exposure to spill areas, 71–72; nature of some calves’ illnesses, 125–26; necropsy report on calves, 124–25, 126; PADEP-instituted quarantine of, after a spill, 114–15; public health risk due to lack of animal testing, 117–18; reproductive issues with, after wastewater spill, 123–24; suspicion that a well leak led to illness and death, 142–44; unanswered questions about, quarantine guidelines, 115–16

cement casings, 43, 160, 186

Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 62, 80

Chautauqua County, New York, 86, 87

chemical crosslinkers, 187

chemicals used in drilling operations: acetone, 158; acrolein, 46; ammonia, 51; arsenic, 51, 75, 103; bactericides, 29, 43; barium, 51, 115, 124; bentonite, 159; benzene, 23, 43, 52–53, 54, 55, 115, 161, 182; biocides, 46, 144, 187; bromodichloromethane, 50; BTEX, 43, 161; butane, 182, 183; butanol, 50; butyl benzyl phthalate, 62; carbon tetrachloride, 43, 80; chloride, 45, 51, 123, 124, 190; chloroform, 50; chloromethane, 43, 80, 158; chromium, 25, 51; dibromochloromethane, 50; ethanol, 50; ethylbenzene, 43, 161; ethylene glycol, 50, 188; fluoranthene, 60; formate, 62; friction reducers, 43; gelling agents, 43; glutaraldehyde, 46, 122, 188; hexavalent chromium, 25; hippuric acid, 53–54, 203n21; hydrochloric acid, 70, 82, 115, 188; hydrogen sulfide, 5, 46; iron, 51, 75, 137, 144; manganese, 51, 75, 137, 144; methane (
see
methane); methylene chloride, 43, 161; m-xylene, 43; naphtha, 86; 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane, 43; 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 43; 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, 51, 158; organic compounds, 122–23; oxygen scavengers, 43; o-xylene, 43; phenathrene, 60; phenol, 52, 54, 62, 203n21; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 60, 107–8; propane, 182, 183; propanol, 50, 51; propylene glycol, 50, 51; p-xylene, 43; quaternary ammonium compounds, 103–4; radioactive compounds (
see
radioactive compounds); scale inhibitors, 43; selenium, 123; semivolatile organic compounds, 13, 62, 105; silica, 6, 186, 187, 188; sodium, 51, 123; strontium, 51, 105, 122, 123, 124–25; sulfate, 123; surfactants, 51, 62, 168, 186;
tert
-butyl alcohol, 158; tetrachloroethylene, 43; tetramethylammonium chloride, 122; toluene, 43, 53, 80, 158, 161; trichloroethene, 80; trichlorofluoromethane, 43, 80; trihalomethanes, 50; 2-butanone, 80; 2-butoxyethanol, 26, 62, 122, 186; 2-methylnapthalene, 60; volatile organic compounds, 52–53, 101, 103, 121, 161; xylenes, 161

Cheney, Richard, 8

chloride, 45, 51, 123, 124, 190

chloroform, 50

chloromethane, 43, 80, 158

chromium, 25, 51

Clean Air Act, 53

Clean and Green Act, Pennsylvania, 100

Clean Streams Law, Pennsylvania, 122

climate change, 174–75

cobalt, 48

Colorado, 4, 11, 23, 26, 108, 127

community impacts of drilling operations: bentonite spill, 159; casing-failure occurrences coincident with illnesses, 160; coexistence of wells and farm crops, 165–66; contamination of community’s water, 158; drilling company’s termination of water deliveries despite test results, 158–59; effect on a Butler County neighborhood, 164–68; environmental justice and, 149–50, 151–53, 174; forced water drive due to loss of water buffaloes, 163; ill health, 160–62 (
see also
health effects of drilling operations); lack of forthright information from companies, 191–92; lack of response by PADEP to reports of water-quality changes, 157–58; lack of testing for crop contamination, 166; local town boards vs. residents in some areas, 151–52; odor from wastewater, 168–69; promises made by land-lease deals, 20, 32–33, 97, 113, 114, 133, 146; proving link between drilling and water contamination, 166–67; real estate values and, 65; rise in well-water levels after drilling, 157; spreading of surfactants on roadways, 168; town meeting on widespread damage from wells, 57–60; water contamination, 162–63, 167, 168–69; on water supply, 163–64.
See also
drilling’s impact on neighboring properties

compulsory integration laws, 1, 99, 100–101, 206n8

congenital defects.
See
birth defects in animals

Corbett, Tom, 98, 151

Cornell University, 2

corrosion inhibitors, 187

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, 108

Cuomo, Andrew, 98

Davidson, Wade and Sharon: abnormal breeding results of, animals, 145; actions taken against the drilling company’s negligence, 139–40; background to their story, 131–34; cattle operation, 141; and drilling company’s advertising of benefits to farmers, 145–46; and drilling company’s improper spreading of wastewater on roads, 140; and failure to conduct pre-drilling soil and water tests by PADEP, 144–45; inadequacy of royalties to, to compensate costs, 146; lack of knowledge of long-term effects of exposure to drilling waste, 146; land-lease issues of, 146–47; loss of water source, 136–37; and net effect of drilling operations for farmers, 147; and odor from active gas well, 138; and post-contamination attempts to drill a productive water well, 135; and quality-of-life consequences of contaminated water, 137–38; response to aftermath of a cattle farm blow-out, 142; and soil degradation due to drilling debris left on farmland, 138; suspicion that a well leak led to illness and death of calves, 142–44; and water buffalo issues, 134–35; and water-test results from PADEP, 144

Deepwater Horizon, 60

Department of Environmental Conservation, NY (NYSDEC), 87, 98, 99, 206n8

dibromochloromethane, 50

displacement of residents by drilling operations.
See
Smith, Ann and Andrew; Valdes, Sarah

Drake, Edwin, 84

drilling-mud pit liners: ease of losing structural integrity, 44–45; ecological hazards from discarded liners, 120, 138–39, 165; failure of leak-detection systems, 45–46; inadequacy of, reliability, 45, 50–51, 121–22; odors from wastewater in, 46; specifications for, by law, 46

drilling’s impact on neighboring properties: air-quality determination, 41–43; air-quality impact of industrial traffic, 39–40; displacement of residents (
see
Smith, Ann and Andrew; Valdes, Sarah); drilling company’s response to water-test results, 51; economic and health effects for residents, 62–65; families’ exposure to contaminated water, 47; and first oil well drilled, 84; growing awareness of drilling operation consequences, 64; health consequences of aerator use, 46–47; health hazards from wastewater spread on roads, 24; illnesses in residents (
see
health effects of drilling operations); illnesses in pets and livestock (
see
animal health effects of drilling operations); impact on real estate values, 65; impoundment integrity issues, 45–46; interruption of water to farms, 33–34; invasiveness of drilling operations, 20–21; lack of consideration for those directly impacted, 65; land-lease promises, 20; landscape changes, 32–33; leaks and spills of drilling fluids and wastewater, 43–44; lease clauses regarding water, 39; legal actions taken to force air tests, 55–56; presence of benzene throughout drilling operations, 52–54; quality-of-life changes, 38–39, 40–41, 63; results of pre- and post-drilling water tests by PADEP, 49–51; risks to aquifers, 23–24; town meeting demonstrating the widespread damage from wells, 57–60; verification of water contamination, 60–62; water contamination from leaking pit liners, 44–45; water-supply disruption (
see
community impacts of drilling operations); withholding of testing results from residents, 61.
See also
Bradford County, Pennsylvania; community impacts of drilling operations

drinking-water contamination.
See
water contamination

dry gas, 183, 189

earthquakes due to drilling operations, 190–91

E. coli
septicemia, 125–26

Ecovillage, Ithaca, New York, 178

electric cars, 179

Engelder, Terry, 3, 5

Environmental Conservation Law, New York, 151

Environmental Defense Fund, 173