Fracking in the Delaware Watershed. Laura Cassaro, Julia Rostron, Zachary Mendoza, Louis Brennan

Transcription

1 Fracking in the Delaware Watershed Laura Cassaro, Julia Rostron, Zachary Mendoza, Louis Brennan

2 What is the Delaware River Basin? A section of the Delaware River that cuts through a large section of the Appalachian Mountains and the surrounding area Huge tourist destination Hiking Rafting Rock Climbing Camping Water source for over 17 million people

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4 What is fracking? Used for extracting natural gas and oil from the rocks deep underground Horizontal drilling Shale Rotating a vertical drill bit to continue drilling within a layer underneath the ground A mix of water, sand, and chemicals is forced into the ground 90% water, 9% sand, 1% additives Shale cracks and gas is released and extracted for use

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6 Current Situation Today there is not a full ban on fracking and related activities in the watershed The actual act of drilling is prohibited Still permitted are: Wastewater storage Treatment and disposal of wastewater Export of freshwater for use in fracking elsewhere

7 The Controversy Side A: Embrace Fracking No proven health risks Create jobs Huge resource that we aren t taking advantage of Could produce an estimated $435 million of natural gas annually Side B: Full Ban in the DRB Health risks Environmental deficits Water quality Air pollution Economic downfall Not enough information

8 Side A: Economic Perspective It would be a waste of abundant resources to not frack in the DRB The United States is the largest natural gas producer in the world Increasing production comes largely from extracting from shale 25% of natural gas housed and extracted in United States Hydraulic fracking is the only feasible way to extract natural gas from shale Create jobs Extraction industries come into small towns and create tons of jobs About 1.7 million jobs have been created Projected to increase

9 Side A: The Health Impacts Fracking is a subject on which there is much research to be done Health risks cannot technically be solidly linked to fracking Has been done for years with few-to-no instances of groundwater contamination

10 Side B: Economic Perspective Not actually creating local jobs Increased cost of living Restoring environmental destruction is expensive Big industries are coming into small towns with employees Jobs are not actually available for people in these small communities Water pollution, air pollution Loss of Tourism Areas natural amenities bring in large amounts of tourists Economically dependent on this influx Small business dominated

11 Side B: The Health Impacts Water source for 17 million + people Including 7 million people in New York City and Northern Jersey Drinking Agriculture Bathing, etc.

12 An Inside Look An quick survey of people who live in the Delaware Watershed Against Fracking in the DRB 100% Pro Fracking in the DRB 0% When talking to people in the watershed 100% reported that they are for a full fracking ban in the area Contaminating drinking water Wildlife sanctuary Damage economy

13 Our Perspective More research is needed Gas extraction should be suspended until studies show that fracking in this area is not creating more problems than it is solving A full fracking ban in this area would be the safest option economically, environmentally, and in regards to human health

14 Works Cited Chen, J., Al-Wadei, M., Kennedy, R. C. M., & Terry, P. D. (2014). Hydraulic fracturing: Paving the way for a sustainable future? Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2014, doi: U.S. Chamber's Fracking Job Boom: Behind the Numbers. Global Energy Institute, 17 Aug. 2017, s-fracking-job-boom-behind-numbers. Friedman, Rob. Time For a Full Fracking Ban in the Delaware River Basin. NRDC, 30 Mar. 2018, Csebestyen. Basin Information. Harassment, Intimidation & Bullying (HIB), NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Office of Information Resources Management (OIRM), Bureau of Geographic Information Systems (BGIS),