Outline 1. Introduction and background

Transcription

1 Outline 1. Introduction and background a. What is fracking? b. Where are we fracking? c. How does fracking work? 2. Water contamination and health effects Jim Shine Fall 2014 Dept. Environmental Health Harvard School of Public Health 3. Policy and regulatory implications What is fracking? Fracking = hydraulic fracturing Where are we fracking? U.S. natural gas production by source Technique for recovering natural gas and oil that involves blasting chemically treated water and sand into a layer of shale to crack open the rock and liberate the gas Shale gas constituted 14% of the US natural gas supply in 2009 and is predicted to constitute 45% of the US gas supply in 2035 Mooney C. The truth about fracking. Sci Am Nov;305(5):80-5. Plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA/600/R-11/122/November 2011/ dy_plan_110211_final_508.pdf Harvard University ENVR E-101 1

2 Where are we fracking? Location of shale gas plays in the U.S. Plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA/600/R-11/122/November 2011/ dy_plan_110211_final_508.pdf Depths for shale gas formations range from 500 to 13,500 feet below the earth s surface Five most productive shale gas fields in the country produce 8.3 billion ft 3 of natural gas per day Barnett Bakken Fayetteville Woodford Marcellus Shales The Marcellus Shale is largest of the newly developing shale gas deposits in the U.S. covers 124,000 km 2 from New York to West Virginia Depth ranges from ground level to over 2,500 m Estimated to hold 13.8 trillion m 3 of natural gas How does fracking work? The process of hydraulic fracturing Vertical well: Plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA/600/R-11/122/November 2011/ dy_plan_110211_final_508.pdf Basic technique has been used since the 1940 s, but only recently have technological advances allowed for horizontal drilling in addition to traditional vertical drilling Three types of wells: Vertical Horizontal Directional (S-shaped) Horizontal drilling requires much larger volumes of water and chemicals than vertical wells 2-4 million gallons of water and 15,000 to 60,000 gallons of chemicals for a single lateral well How does fracking work? Horizontal wells Deep shale environment has several thousand feet of rock between drinking water aquifer and horizontal well Gas production is more economical than from a vertical well Fewer wells are needed than when using vertical wells How does fracking work? Chemicals used in fracking Chemicals are used to: Help fracking fluid flow Protect well pipes Kill bacteria More than 750 distinct chemicals used in fracking solutions Chemical additives are less than 2% by volume of fracking fluid but tbecause it s such a waterintensive process, at least 50 m 3 of chemicals are used for typical 10,000 m 3 project Plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA/600/R-11/122/November 2011/ Plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA/600/R-11/122/November 2011/ udy_plan_110211_final_508.pdf Harvard University ENVR E-101 2

3 How does fracking work? Estimated water needs by shale play Outline 1. Introduction and background Plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA/600/R-11/122/November 2011/ g/upload/hf_study_plan_110211_final_508.pdf 2. Water contamination and health effects a. Overview b. Potential water hazards during drilling process Methane contamination case study Health effects of methane contamination c. Potential post-drilling water hazards Health effects of fracking fluid contamination 3. Policy and regulatory implications Overview Overview (continued) Table I: Pennsylvania Gas Industry Inspections, Violations and Enforcements Year Formations Inspections Violations Enforcements 2008 All Marcellus All Marcellus All Marcellus Total All Marcellus Source: Bishop, State Univserty of NY, Chemical and Biological Risk Assessment of NS Howarth (2011), Nature Harvard University ENVR E-101 3

4 Overview (continued) Potential water hazards during drilling process Well casing failure Fracking fluid can migrate through fractures to aquifer Migration of naturally occurring substances: Brine Natural gases Metals Radioactive materials Organics (e.g., PAHs) Caused by: Pressure changes (fluids, explosions) Reactions between fracking fluid and geological formation Methane contamination case study: Osborn 2011 Methane contamination case study: Osborn 2011 Harvard University ENVR E-101 4

5 Health effects of methane Potential post-drilling water hazards Explosive danger Ingested toxicity? Methane is highly volatile, therefore unlikely to stay in water where it would be ingested Acute toxicity at 15% of the air (!) Symptoms: dizziness, fatigue, headache (ATSDR) Not associated with long-term health effects Chemical transportation accidents and spills Drilling site surface contamination Flowback Improper handling of chemicals, leaks from on-site storage tanks and retention ponds Disposal of used fracking fluid Improper treatment (municipal treatment plants not equipped) Injection into ground or used wells Breach of pit lining Health effects of post-drilling contamination So what s in there? Inert compounds (e.g., salts, citric acid) Compounds known to be hazardous: E.g., naphthalene, methanol, ethylene glycol Special concern over BTEX compounds Post-drilling contamination example BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene): most widelyappearing (known) compounds in fracking fluids Neurological effects ranging from tingling and numbness to unconsciousness Kidney and liver toxicity Benzene is a known carcinogen 1.4 million gallons of fluid containing at least one BTEX compound over five-year period between 2005 and 2009 Proprietary compounds (unknown) benzene toluene ethylbenzene Harvard University ENVR E-101 5

6 Summary of potential hazards to drinking water Outline 1. Introduction and background 2. Water contamination and health effects 3. Policy and regulatory implications a. Context b. Current regulatory mechanisms c. Peripheral policy concerns d. The future Plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA/600/R-11/122/November 2011/ Context Context (continued) NEPA Clean Air Act Clean Water Act (1969) (1970) (1972) Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) RCRA (1976) EPCRA and Pollution Prevention Act Toxic Release Inventory (1986/1990) CERCLA ( Superfund Act) (1980) Occupational Health and Safety Act (1970) requires material safety data sheets (MSDSs) for every chemical be posted in the workplace to protect workers But, manufacturers can withhold the formulations of chemicals that are trade secrets MSDS may just say e.g. polymer, plasticizer The United States has many environmental laws. Regulatory mechanisms are generally contaminant-specific. Harvard University ENVR E-101 6

7 Context (continued) Context (continued) Growing political, social support for energy independence Increased leasing of federal lands for oil/gas exploration Exemptions and dispensations for these projects from environmental protection regulations Colborn (2011), Int Jrnl Hum & Ecol Risk Assmnt In report on fracking, EPA finds: [The] use of diesel fuel in fracturing fluids poses the greatest threat to underground drinking water US HoR Committee on Energy and Commerce, Minotity Staff (2011) 2004 Context (continued) Safe Drinking Water Act amended to exclude: the underground injection of fluids or propping agents (other than diesel fuels) pursuant tto hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities Except when waste containing diesel is injected back into ground, fracking not under Clean Water Act regulation US HoR Committee on Energy and Commerce, Minotity Staff (2011) Energy Policy Act (2005): Fracking activities exempt from Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Superfund Act -a.k.a. the Haliburton Loophone Context (continued) Wyoming becomes first state to require well-by-well disclosure of chemicals in fracking fluids but proprietary chemicals still exempt Texas, Pennsylvania, and Arkansas eventually pass similar laws US HoR Committee on Energy and Commerce, Minority Staff (2011) Harvard University ENVR E-101 7

8 Current regulatory mechanisms Current regulatory mechanisms (continued) Fracking fluids contain 29+ different chemicals known or possible human carcinogens and/or otherwise regulated under CAA or CWA As a practice, not subject to federal environmental statutes per se Regulated entirely on the state level Laws vary widely by state e.g., Wyoming fairly strict, West Virginia specifically exempts fracking from regulation 2004 US HoR Committee on Energy and Commerce, Minority Staff (2011) Proponents of regs: Not enough oversight to ensure safety Can t effectively monitor for hazardous substances if we don t know what we re looking for No baseline = can t establish liability for problems in the future Industry: Fracking allows more thorough exploitation with less infrastructure than other technologies Publishing trade secrets will slow innovation, reduce returns on R&D investments Current regulatory mechanisms (continued) Peripheral policy concerns Enforcing compliance within state regulations where they do exist is a huge issue. In 2008: 19 state inspectors covering 13,000+ wells in New York 24 overseeing 64,000+ in Ohio 35 supervising 74,000+ wells in Pennsylvania Water scarcity: Large volumes needed Competition with other users in arid regions International environmental justice Distraction of attention and funding from alternative energy exploration Cusolito (2010), The Nation Harvard University ENVR E-101 8

9 The future Pending EPA study on impacts of fracking on groundwater Preliminary findings published December, 2012 Final report due late 2014 (Already did a study back in 2004) December 2012 Progress Report EPA 601/R-12/01112/011 Growing political issue Gasland and local activism in Northeast City of New York drinking water supply But: continued strong political pressure for domestic energy production future New York City Drinking Water: Unfiltered Link Between Fracking, Seismic Activity Treatment Method: Watershed Protection Western Reservoirs: - Within Delaware River Watershed - Overlying the Marcellus formation Harvard University ENVR E-101 9

10 1 st Generation of Research Papers. Example Data (Wyoming): October NOTE: - Dotted line is ATSDR Chronic Health Threshold - Samples collected in PA, AR, WY, CO, OH - Only examples of high hits shown - Air samples taken within meters of the fracking activity Env. Health Perspectives, April Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July Measurable evidence of brine water infiltration into shallow aquifers at Some sites Conclusions: In this large cohort, we observed an association between density and proximity of natural gas wells within a 10-mile radius of maternal residence and prevalence of CHDs and possibly NTDs. Greater specificity in exposure estimates is needed to further explore these associations. Harvard University ENVR E

11 Reviews in Environmental Health, In Press: - A review article - Examined chemicals ASSOCIATED with fracking - Concluded that some of those chemicals can cause adverse reproductive effects - No field data - Didn t try to associate levels observed in the environment with potential adverse birth outcomes Harvard University ENVR E