Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by LP on May 3, 2013 at 0:56

Excellent !! Great analogy. Contrived statistics about the danger of puppies is a good way to interest a reader and make the point of creating fear from false implications.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew on May 6, 2013 at 12:56

Personally, I'm more afraid of puppies. 

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Permalink Reply by tc on May 6, 2013 at 14:58

Both can bite you if you don't give them the attention & respect they deserve. 

Both sides lie on this issue.  I love how T. Boone Pickens say fracking is 100% safe yet in W. PA we have had numerous fracking fluid fires and illegal fracking waste dumping.  The fracking process starts the minute you start taking water from nature and lasts until that water is returned to nature in the same condition. 

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on May 6, 2013 at 15:37

The majority of frac fluid is not flammable as far as I know (slick water)  Hydrocarbons produced with frac fluid can be quite flammable.  The illegal dumping would certainly be a concern if true however the same can be said of produced water containing no frac fluid.  The salts, heavy metals and NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) found naturally in many formations and produced along with the hydrocarbons are not something you would want spilled on your surface or watershed.  But that's not a fracing issue.  IMO the majority of arguments against fracing are not about fracing.  They are about casing integrity issues (whether a well is fraced or not) and point source pollution such as surface spills (once again, whether a well is fraced or not).

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Permalink Reply by tc on May 6, 2013 at 17:04

Water is a fracing issue, because with out water there is no fracing.  It's like saying nuclear power is safe as long as you don't count radiation pollution.  Pro drilling likes to say that fracing is 100% safe and imply that fracing DRILLING is 100% safe, when the truth is that drilling is a dangerous process that requires care and regulation.  Most drillers are good and honest, but we need to protect ourselves from the likes of West Fertilizer company or a Massey Energy.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on May 7, 2013 at 1:32

The industry is motivated to adopt best practices for hydraulic fracture stimulation to the point that some are even reporting their frac formulas.  And the trend is toward the treatment and reuse of water.  IMO the water is an environmental issue, not a safety or pollution issue.  Louisiana has already dealt with this issue by convincing operators licensed by the state to get their water from non-potable sources such as the Red River or its associated aquifer.  The industry no longer uses potable well water in LA.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew on May 7, 2013 at 1:55

The industry no longer uses potable well water in LA.

An excellent decision by the State and the Industry together. Fortunately for us, there's ordinarily enough surface water in Louisiana to frack until the rapture comes. 

I am a major advocate of fracking, and I think much of the anti-fracking "movement" comes from people who won't support any energy solution except for renewables, as well as others who seem to remain willfully ignorant of the facts regarding the procedure.

That said, I think it is extraneous to add the caveat "if it is done properly." Of course it should. To me, adding that caveat is akin to saying "I'm in favor of life-saving organ transplants, but only when performed by licensed doctors and not with rusty instruments." Obviously, most people only support the use of fracking and other unconventional recovery methods if they're done properly, which is to say they are done with minimal environmental risk.

For those who do not take the time or care to get the job done right, I have little patience and even less sympathy. In those instances I think severe sanction and legal liability are appropriate, because I believe the oil industry should be held to an exacting environmental standard.

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Permalink Reply by Krkyoldhag on May 7, 2013 at 2:48

The anti fracking people and the PETA people and the Al Gore "make a million on fear" and his global warming wealth should all get seats on Virgin Air's space ship.

That silly uproar PETA making about Chrisit swatting a spider just about did it for me.

Next they will launch a "save the Fleas" push, we will be riding in man powered rickshaws, and hunkering down under blankets trying not to freeze to death from al the global warming.

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Permalink Reply by Steve on May 7, 2013 at 9:15

Cristy,the spider and PETA: apparently the PETA people have never stood on a bed of fire ants.

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