‘Fracking’ Can Work Well in West Virginia

Morgantown Dominion Post
7 November 2010
By Chris Kulander

Recent nationwide economic problems have not dampened the new natural gas boom sweeping through the Appalachians. Until recently, natural gas could not be economically produced from “tight” rock formations like the Marcellus shale that lies under West Virginia. The widespread use of modern hydraulic fracturing techniques has changed all that.

Tight rock formations only allow gas to be produced through cracks in the rock. These cracks are called fractures. Hydraulic fracturing, sometimes called “fracking,” involves injecting fluid into these tight formations at very high pressures to create manmade fractures. Generally, the more fractures created, the more gas production. Fracking has made production from the Marcellus shale possible, raised revenue for the state and created thousands of jobs.

Like mining, where the positives of West Virginia’s vital and strategic mining industry are leavened with negatives such as pollution and accidents, this gas bonanza comes with a cost. With increased drilling come more chances for spills and accidents. Fracking is noisy, requires huge amounts of water and increases heavy trucks on rural roads. The biggest concern, however, is the potential for water pollution.

Fracking fluids vary, but usually are more than 99 percent water and solids. The remainder are additives that promote the fluid’s flow through pores in the rock and corrosion inhibitors. The solids are the “proppant,” typically sand and ceramic pellets that prop the crack open and allow oil or gas to flow to the well.

No evidence directly connects injection of fracking fluid into shale with aquifer contamination. In 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a study finding no confirmed instances of drinking water contamination by fracking fluids in the ground. This finding is not surprising, as fracking fluid is pumped through a concrete-lined borehole to formations thousands of feet below aquifers. After environmentalists criticized the 2004 study, another study by the EPA is planned for completion by 2012 or later.

The potential for water contamination comes after fracking has occurred. Industry sources say that operators receive back 30-50 percent of the fracking fluid when they pump it back to the surface. If improperly handled, this fluid could potentially harm surface water just like other liquid waste from drilling operations. Methods are being further developed to reuse, treat or contain used fracking fluid. Unlike other states that banned fracking entirely, West Virginia instead began development and enforcement of a rigorous set of regulations specifically tailored to fracking. Now, applications for a permit to stimulate a well through fracking must be accompanied by a bond, a plat describing the proposed drilling site and a corrective action plan that will prevent movement of fluid into underground sources of drinking water in the event of an accident.

The state Department of Environmental Protection’s director then conducts a review of the application and wellsite. Similar rules govern lining of fluid pits and wastewater disposal. In addition to state laws, towns and counties know best the ordinances necessary for managing noise, road traffic and times of operation. With images of the BP spill fresh in our memory, it is clearer than ever before that a responsive state regulatory framework and vigorous, impartial enforcement of those regulations are necessary for sound natural gas development. However, draconian measures such as drilling moratoriums or federal oversight of fracking are not. West Virginia, with its history as a leading coal supplier, can shoulder the mantle of natural gas giant and enjoy the jobs and revenue it brings without federal intrusion.


Chris Kulander is an attorney in Houston, He is former resident of Morgantown. He received his Ph.D. in geophysics from Texas A&M and served as a geophysicist for the U.S. Geological Survey. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.