What you need to know about Fracking in 400 words or less

My previous Mojo Mom blog post was the long version of just about everything I have learned about fracking and why you should care. Here is the nutshell version in 400 words and four illustrations.

This brief description of fracking is adapted from a job description posted by the Citizens Campaign for the Environment in New York State. (Photos and links were added by me):

What is Hydro-Fracking?

To recover natural gas deposits in shale formations…the industry uses a process termed high volume hydraulic fracturing, which uses millions of gallons of water, laced with a cocktail of chemicals, to fracture shale and release gas.

Inherent Risks of Hydro-Fracking

Hydro-fracking activities operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during production. Volumes of toxic, radioactive, and caustic liquid waste by-products pose storage, treatment, and disposal problems. Regular operations, as well as accidents can adversely impact the environment and public health. Especially problematic is the lack of federal protection for drinking water, air quality, water treatment infrastructure, and landowner liability.

A shale-gas drilling and fracking site in Dimock, Pennsylvania. Photo by Jacques del Conte

Communities from Texas to Pennsylvania have already been impacted from industrial hydro-fracking operations. A peer reviewed study published in the National Academy of Science found water wells near gas wells had 17 times higher methane levels. Families in Dimock, PA live with drinking water contaminated with methane and heavy metals. Blowouts from gas wells have spewed liquid fracking waste into the air and into local streams.

Primary concerns include human and environmental exposure to:

• Radioactivity that is a physical characteristic of Marcellus shale.
• The hazardous cocktail of hydro-fracking chemicals injected into the ground.
• Air pollution from diesel engines, compressor stations, and flaring.
• Brine that is 5x saltier than seawater that can damage freshwater streams and lakes, as well as corrode infrastructure.
• Hazardous liquid and solid waste that is stored on-site, transported on public roads, and disposed of at municipal landfills or sewage treatment plants.

Susan Wallace-Babb, wearing the oxygen mask she has to wear almost every day outside, walks with her dog at home in Winnsboro, Texas, on Sept. 12, 2011. (Erin Trieb for ProPublica)

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Anti-fracking action seems to be taking place on the state or local level, so consult your local environmental and clean-water organizations to learn more about fracking where you live.