Richard L. Wilson. Richard L. Wilson Loyola University in Maryland Philosophy Engineering Management UMBC 6/8/2016 1

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Letitia Moore
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1 Engineering Management UMBC 1

2 Social Sustainability In this analysis Social Sustainability will be taken to include economic, ecological, political, social and cultural sustainability. The natural and social worlds are intimately connected. Social Sustainability is related to all human activities. Engineering Management UMBC 2

3 Environment/Dwelling/Home 1. Social Sustainability needs to see the Environment as the place, on, with, and within which we dwell. 2. To make our dwelling home requires sustainability at 3 levels. 3. Economic On/Off 4. Ecological With 5. Social - Within 6. Assessment of Environmental Sustainability requires attending to all 3 of these categories. 7. This Anticipatory Ethical analysis will focus on Social Sustainability. Engineering Management UMBC 3

4 Types of Potential Energy Sustainability 1. Hydraulic Fracturing (our main focus) Economic development on the land. 2. Volcanos Hydraulic Fracking Working with the land. 3. Geothermal Working within the Environment. How do these processes affect Social Sustainability? Engineering Management UMBC 4

pores or between the layers of deep shale formation (an organicrich

5 Hydraulic Fracturing Fracking Process Hydraulic Fracturing is a process which allows extraction of natural gas and some oil from the pores or between the layers of deep shale formation (an organicrich sedimentary rock). Engineering Management UMBC 5

6 Problems Inherent and Environmental Impact Fracking Fluids 98% water and sand plus 2% Chemicals (Additives) Problem: The 3000 psi pressure used in the fracking process has caused uncontrollable discharge into the environment. Fact - Chesapeake in 2011 lost control of shale well in Pennsylvania where 10,000 gallons of fracking fluids escaped and flowed into Towanda Creek. Environmental: Some of the chemicals pose no known health hazards, but some are known carcinogens, some are toxic, some are neurotoxins. Chemical Benzene Lead Ethylene Glycol Methanol Boric Acid 2-butoxyethanol Health Impact cancer, bone marrow failure damages the nervous system and causes brain disorders antifreeze, causes death highly toxic kidney damage, death causes hemolysis Engineering Management UMBC 6

$Problems Inherent and Environmental Impact: The Casing Problem: Gas has seeped into the freshwater aquifer and local water wells due to the hydraulic fracturing process.$

7 Problems Inherent and Environmental Impact: The Casing Problem: Gas has seeped into the freshwater aquifer and local water wells due to the hydraulic fracturing process. The leakage into the freshwater aquifer and local wells are due to poor cementing of the production casing which allows seepage into the aquifer and water wells. Environmental: Gas can dissolve in water and still remain highly flammable. Fact - In 2009, Cabot Oil and Gas Corp poorly constructed well allowed shallow methane to contaminate 14 water supplies. Leakages into the local wells can also be caused by fracturing too far into permeable layers. Engineering Management UMBC 7

8 Shale gas in the U.S. Engineering Management UMBC 8

9 Problems Inherent and Environmental Impact Surface Fracking Activities Discharge and leakage of gas from the production valve contributes to the Green House effect. Gas is highly flammable creating a potential for major explosions. Consumes 3 to 5 Acres of land per drill site (size of 2 to 4 football fields). Consumes 1 to 5 million gallons of water (Household of 4 consumes 280 to 400 gallons per day or 30 years of water supply ehow.com). Increase in air pollution due to the mixing of the fracking fluids. Deterioration of local infrastructure, including community relationships. Engineering Management UMBC 9

10 Improved Technology 1. Gas companies are beginning to reduce the percentage of proprietary fluids in the fracking fluids cocktail. The percentage has gone from 2 percent down to 0.5 percent; and several chemicals such as diesel oil have been deleted from some company s fluids. 2. Multi-well drilling pads can be used for multiple fracking operation. Several production casings can be run from a single site. 3. There is also improvement in the cementing process for the production pipe. 4. Reclamation of land used by the hydraulic fracturing process; once the gas production is in place the surrounding land up to the production valve is reclaimed, and returned to near original state. Engineering Management UMBC 10

11 Pros of Hydraulic Fracturing Helps reduces energy dependence on Middle East. New development supported 600,000 jobs in Cheap natural gas = more manufacturing in USA. In the future the US can become an exporter of energy. There can be a reduced generation of greenhouse gas due to replacement of coal with natural gas. In % of power generated with natural gas. In 2030, 30% use of natural gas is predicted. Engineering Management UMBC 11

12 Cons of Fracking for Oil Although there are a variety of benefits, there are concerns about the environmental impact natural gas fracking may have on our environment. Emissions from fracking are double that of coal and could severely increase air pollution around fracking sites. Fracking consumes a large amount of water with some wells requiring between one and eight million gallons of water to crack the rock. In some cases, only 30-50% of the water is recovered. Proprietary chemicals are used in the fracking process, sometimes containing nearly 600 different chemicals. This can certainly be a concern for the personnel working at the site, residents living near the site, as well as the use of the tainted recovered water. It has been reported that methane levels in ground water near fracking sites have been up to 17 times higher than normal. This will potentially have a severe impact on local residents. Engineering Management UMBC 12

13 Fracking Volcanos This involves injecting water into a series of cracks in the rocks at a high enough pressure that water reaches 2 to 3 miles beneath the surface, fracturing connected veins of rock to access the heat beneath and creating a series of connected geothermal reservoirs in the process. This technology represents a major step beyond the standard geothermal energy extraction practice which uses steam from convective hot water wells that occur naturally underground. Rather than searching for that water, the enhanced geothermal system (EGS) focuses on the heat s source the hot rocks. A projected investment of $1 billion in the U.S. over a 15-year period could potentially deliver more than 100,000 electric megawatts (MWe) of energy by In comparison, France s largest nuclear reactor produces 1,600 MWe. Engineering Management UMBC 13

14 Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy is heat that is derived from below the earth s surface which can be harnessed to generate clean, renewable energy. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. The geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials. The geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat from the core towards the surface. Engineering Management UMBC 14

15 Anticipatory Ethical Issues for Fracking Not reporting air and water contamination to the databases, even though not yet required. Employing local people to get them to embrace Fracking and to focus on the jobs. Drilling in states that do not make strict liability awards for Fracking operations is a way to diminish legal duty with dangerous activity. Not providing to the databases/plaintiffs all of the chemicals used in Fracking, due to trade secrets. Engineering Management UMBC 15

16 Barriers to Social Sustainability The focus of energy production in so far as the focus is on future energy needs, has to be concerned with Social Sustainability. All 3 of the modes of energy production examined above create jobs but these jobs are predominately temporary. Once the processes become operational fewer employees are needed. Hydraulic Fracking is environmentally questionable because it focuses on energy produced from limited fossil fuels. 6//8/2016 Engineering Management UMBC 16

17 Barriers to Social Sustainability Fracking Volcanos and developing geothermal energy share some common problems. Both methods of energy production will require a large investment to make them operational. Fracking a dormant Volcano that is still active raises issues related to off target risks. Geothermal energy is site specific. Building infrastructure to make these energies deliverable is expensive. 6//8/2016 Engineering Management UMBC 17

18 Conclusions Fracking is one of the last sources for fossil fuels it should be thought of as a bridge technology. Volcanos and Geothermal energies are potentially long term energy sources. If these sources are safely developed they could contribute to long term Social Sustainability. Economic development, can be combined with ecological safety while sustaining social existence. Engineering Management UMBC 18

19 Policy Recommendations There are major challenges with all 3 of the types of energy discussed above. Development in all 3 areas must be based upon a balance of economic, ecological, political and cultural sustainability. When Social Sustainability is combined with Anticipatory Ethics we recommend that research must continue on developing these sources of energy as well as developing new sources of future energy, while striving to give up reliance on fossil fuel sources of energy. 6//8/2016 Engineering Management UMBC 19

20 References for Analysis Berish,Suzanne, et al., v Southwestern Energy Production Company and Southwestern Energy Company, Civil Action No. 3:10-CV-1981, U.S. District Court for Middle District of Pennsylvania. February 3, LexisNexis. Briggle, Adam A field Philosopher s Guide to Fracking, Liveright Publication Company, New York, Brown, James E., Presentation Pros and Cons of Hydraulic Fracturing, Code of Ethics for Engineers. National Society of Professional Engineers. July Nelson, Vaughan, Introduction to Renewable Energy, CRC Press Taylor Francis Group, New York, NORMA J. FIORENTINO, et al., v. CABOT OIL & GAS CORPORATION and GAS SEARCH DRILLING SERVICES CORPORATION, Civil Action No. 09-CV-2284, U.S. District Court for Middle District of Pennsylvania. February 3, LexisNexis. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) Shale Gas Production Subcommittee 90-Day Report. U.S. Department of Energy. August 18, Retrieved from: Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) Shale Gas Production Subcommittee Second 90-Day Report. U.S. Department of Energy, November 18, Retrieved from: Turcotte, D. L.; Schubert, G. (2002), Geodynamics (2 ed.), Cambridge, England, UK: Cambridge University Press. Vallance, Suzanne, Perkins, Harvey, & Dixon, Jennifer E, What is Social Sustainability? A Clarification of concepts, Geoforum 42 (2011) Wilson, Richard L., Hydraulic Fracturing: A Stakeholder Based Analysis of the Ethical, Social, and Legal Problems in Progress in Medical Geology, Cambridge Scholars Press, Engineering Management UMBC 20

Non-Renewable Energy Resources: How do dead things power our lives?

Non-Renewable Energy Resources: How do dead things power our lives? Life requires energy it is stored, transferred, and converted Ultimate source of energy for life the Sun For humans, our source of energy