New explosive study: Fracking worse than coal for the environment

Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing amounts to (4.00 / 1)

an environmental nightmare no matter where you look.  The only reason it has gotten as far as it has is because of the secret Cheney meetings with fossil fuel execs years ago where they exempted the gas industry from clean air and clean water protections.  Sierra Club has downgraded gas to only 25% cleaner than coal due to its extractive practices.  The documentary movie "Gasland" is out and being shown all over the nation showing the devastating effects of H2F and the people who have been effected by it directly.
Here in WV Acting as Governor Tomblin has stated that he will call a special session as soon as the DEP gets all the stakeholders to agree on a bill, not as easy as it sounds.  At the moment we have 15 inspectors for 59,000 active, producing wells (only a fraction utilizing H2F at the moment)and we have anywhere from 7500-9500 abandoned gas wells that need to be plugged. We're looking at a complete environmental nightmare if something isn't done soon and we shouldn't be issuing any more permits until strict regulations are on the books.

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by: JBdem4usa @ Mon Apr 11, 2011 at 23:32:14 PM UTC

This just in from our neighbors up north (4.00 / 1)

A personal account of living in the gas fields of H2F

http://tinyurl.com/3b7kyv9

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by: JBdem4usa @ Tue Apr 12, 2011 at 12:36:24 PM UTC

OMG, It's the FINAL WORD!! (0.00 / 1)

Hey, guys, let's not pee in our pants before we finish reading the article. As the study's co-author stated:

"We do not intend for you to accept what we reported on today as the definitive scientific study with regard to this question. It is clearly not. We have pointed out as many times as we could that we are basing this study on in some cases questionable data," Ingraffea said at a mid-March seminar

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by: Yeahyu Wright @ Wed Apr 13, 2011 at 03:05:01 AM UTC

What was the question? (4.00 / 1)

You quote something from the article which amounts to a disclaimer so that they can't get sued, but you don't give us the exact question that was referred to...give us the whole story dude.  My pants are quite dry at the moment but then again I don't live in GASLAND....yet.

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by: JBdem4usa @ Wed Apr 13, 2011 at 03:32:44 AM UTC

JB (4.00 / 1)

There's also good reasons in the study to slow down and examine this. If the gas is valuable today, it's going to be more valuable later as our 20 years of coal that's left runs out.


When a man embarks upon a crime, he is morally guilty of any other crime which may spring from it. Sherlock Holmes.

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by: Carnacki @ Wed Apr 13, 2011 at 12:16:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

H2F must be done in an environmentally sound manner.... (4.00 / 1)

if that's even possible...the technology has been around for a long time but has been in the closet due to its obvious drawbacks, too much water, too much waste, too much emissions, and too much money to invest upfront.  When the industry finds a willing participant in the form of a state govt. already used to allowing companies welcoming access to not being regulated too tightly they jump at the opportunity.  Inspectors are key and they must be trained by people other than the people they regulate as is the case now in WV.  There are so many problems with the industry as it is now its not even funny, we've only scratched the surface here I'm afraid.  Looks like we have a new troll.  

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by: JBdem4usa @ Wed Apr 13, 2011 at 13:13:05 PM UTC

The latest from upstate NY (4.00 / 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

This video is the latest from Josh Fox, the star director of Gasland and an update from the legislature in NY.  They have over 400 citizen lobbyists, all registered, descending on the capitol in Albany.  I wish we had this kind of support in WV.

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by: JBdem4usa @ Thu Apr 14, 2011 at 04:33:50 AM UTC