/app/uploads/frack_files/zoback.jpg — Mark Zoback

Our analysis suggests that while shale gas development poses significant risks to the environment, including faulty well construction, blowouts, and above-ground contamination due to leaks and spills of fracturing fluids and waste water, technologies and best practices exist that can help manage these risks.

Best practices are currently being applied by some producers in some locations, but not by all producers in all locations. Enforcing strong regulations is necessary to ensure broader adoption of these practices and to minimize risk to the environment. In addition, if increased shale gas development is to be undertaken responsibly, the cumulative risks of developing thousands of wells must be considered.

The report concludes that faulty well construction, in particular poorly cemented steel casings needed to isolate the gas from shallow formations, as well as above-ground contamination due to leaks and spills of fracturing fluids and waste water, pose more significant risks to the environment.

In addition, continued study and improved communication of the environmental risks associated with both individual wells and large scale shale gas development are essential for society to make well-informed decisions about its energy future.

“Although the technologies, best practices, and regulations that can help minimize these risks exist, they have not yet been universally adopted,” says Worldwatch Fellow and co-author Saya Kitasei. “Experiences in Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and New York demonstrate that strong public pressure exists for stricter oversight.”

BOX: Current Regulatory Framework Governing Shale Gas Development [2010] Most regulation of oil and gas development is currently left to the states, where regulatory bodies are in charge of enforcing state environmental laws as well as rules and regulations specific to oil and gas production.

Rules and regulations developed by state agencies such as the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Texas Railroad Commission, or the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection govern the specifics of gas production, requiring producers to obtain permits before drilling, and requiring certain standards and practices to be used during well construction, hydraulic fracturing, waste handling, and well plugging.

State regulations also deal with tanks and pits as well as any chemical or waste water spills. Currently, there is significant variation in the particulars of these rules and regulations from state to state.

For example, in a 2009 survey of the 27 largest gas-producing states, the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) found that 25 states required surface casing to be set below the deepest groundwater, 21 require a cement set-up period or test such as a cement bond log, 10 require companies to list chemicals or pressures used during hydraulic fracturing, and none requires companies to list an estimate of how much of this fracturing fluid flows back to the surface after a well has been fractured.

The non-profit STRONGER (State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations) has been updating guidelines for reviews of state programs since 1999. As list of states that have completed initial and follow-up reviews is available on STRONGER‘s website (www.strongerinc.org)
Zoback, M. D. “Addressing the Environmental Risks from Shale Gas Development.” (2010).

Mark Zoback is one of the scientists on the short list for the upcoming EPA study.

(Editor’s Note STRONGER is still online in 2025!)

About Us

The name, STRONGER, is an acronym for “State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations”. STRONGER is a multi-stakeholder 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The Board of Directors is comprised of equal representation from the oil and gas industry, state oil and gas environmental regulatory agencies, and the environmental public advocacy community.

STRONGER’s mission is to enhance protection of human health and the environment by educating and providing services for the continuous improvement of state oil and gas environmental regulatory programs. All STRONGER efforts are led by multi-stakeholder workgroups comprised of subject-matter experts.

STRONGER’s work focuses primarily on two areas: developing Guidelines for state oil and gas environmental regulatory programs, and conducting Reviews of volunteer state oil and gas environmental regulatory programs against the criteria of those Guidelines.
www.strongerinc.org

The Worldwatch Institute is an independent research organization recognized by opinion leaders around the world for its accessible, fact-based analysis of critical global issues. The Institute’s three main program areas include Climate & Energy, Food & Agriculture, and the Green Economy.

See also: Flavin, C., and S. Kitasei. The Role of Natural Gas in a Low-Carbon Energy Economy. Briefing paper. Natural Gas and Sustainable Energy Initiative. Washington, D.C.: Worldwatch Institute, 2010. (PDF, 617kb)

See: What is the National Children’s Study?

See: Climate Co-benefits and Child Mortality Wedges

See: ToxFAQs™: Hydrogen Sulfide

See: Poisoned profits : the toxic assault on our children

See: TEDX — The Endocrine Disruption Exchange

See: Gasland: Drilling Isn’t Safe

See: Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis

See: The Case for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Toxic Hazards

See: This Website is a Crash Course In Fracking

See: Sixty Lame Minutes

See: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Hydraulic Fracturing Study (2010-2012)

See: EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Plan Review Panel