Fracking Hell

I’ve just watched this from the Ecoloon website of Frack off. It’s another example of the fringe of lunatics who are against any advancement in energy production. Watch the film first. (DISCLAIMER: The Author of this blog is not liable for any vomit that might ruin your keyboard).

At approximately  three minutes in we have a professor moaning that they are building hundreds of gas pads. No one seems to mind about the thousands of bird mincers that are to be built?

Then at four minutes in we have the hoary old chestnut about drinking water being contaminated. Listen to the old dear at 4.52. Anyone would think that she is having neat diesel fuel coming out of her tap.

The “organic farmer” feels put upon as well. (There must be a “Think of the Cheeeeldren” soon)

Not so.

No one knows how much of these chemicals are being used by any given driller. We do know that fracking fluid is composed of less than one percent of the chemicals in this list, with water and sand making up the other 99 percent.

When fracking fluid is pumped into the ground, the vertical hole down which it’s pumped is lined with concrete to protect surface water supplies from chemicals. The fracking fluid goes down some 5,000 feet to where it’s used to help break rock apart releasing the natural gas, and then most of the fluid is pumped back out again and carted away where it’s treated at a regulated and approved facility. For the fluid that stays behind, it’s down some 5,000 feet. That’s almost a mile of solid rock between where it sits and surface water supplies (which are located at about 300 feet). There’s no way any of that fluid will “seep up” into water supplies. And remember that most fluid is pumped back out again. So less than one percent of the fluid are chemicals from this list, and most of that comes out again, leaving behind a very very small amount of chemicals a mile below the surface and heavily diluted by water and sand.

Compare the list below with the labels on the containers under your kitchen and bathroom sinks. You’ll find some of the same names on the labels. ¹

At minute 5.25 we get the hoary old chestnut of flaming taps. Debunked here.

The Truth about Gasland ²

Gasland is a ‘documentary’ film by Josh Fox that claims to tell the truth about unconventional gas development and the hydraulic fracturing process. However, the film is riddled with inaccuracies and misleading statements.

Many of the claims made in the film have been proven false by a variety of independent organisations. Some of the more detailed rebuttals can be found at the links below.

Links

• America’s Natural Gas Alliance
  Provides a video rebuke to the claims made in Gasland. The video can also be found on True blue natural gas.
• Colorado Oil & Gas Commission
  Information on COGCC investigations into complaints from landowners.
• Energy In Depth
  The Gasland Debunked factsheet shows the myths and realities behind the film.
• Huffington Post
  Bill Shireman, CEO of The Future 500, talks about how misleading the public with regards to unconventional gas is bad for the environmental community.

Of course as you will see at approximately 8.45 we will be imperilled with those tanker trucks loaded with chemicals that will kill all life on the planet as we know it, all crashing and burning. (Alright I’m exaggerating a touch).

Oh Noes. It gets worse.

At 11.30 mins we’re all going to die from radium poisoning.

I could go on, but sometimes think that I’m beating my head against a brick wall.

 

1 http://marcellusdrilling.com/2010/06/list-of-78-chemicals-used-in-hydraulic-fracturing-fluid-in-pennsylvania/

2   http://www.europeunconventionalgas.org/home/resources/frequently-asked-questions/the-truth-about-gasland