If you don't believe the Marcellus Shale will become the biggest political football in Pennsylvania between now and November, I direct you to Senator Robert Casey (D), who continues to prove that even though he and his staff understand nothing about geological science, they aren't afraid to criticize the natural gas industry for political gain (or what they think will be political gain).
This past week, Casey publicly announced that he wants the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate water contamination reports from...guess where?...Dimock, PA.
For those of you with short memories, or for those who have tuned out the constant barrage of questions that have already been answered from Northeastern Pennsylvania, in early 2009, Cabot Oil and Gas, while drilling a Marcellus well, released natural gas from a pocket located in a higher rock formation. Upon escaping from the earth, the gas, looking for the easiest path to the surface entered a drinking water aquifer and exploded through a residential water well. Natural gas was also found in a group of neighboring water wells.
The gas was abated from the wells, and PA DEP in its own press release, told the world that the situation had been thoroughly investigated, that drinking the water was again safe to drink, and in NO WAY was this incident related to the hydrofracing process. Cabot was fined under the law.
Its important to note that natural gas -- which is what was in the Dimock water; frac chemicals were not found -- is not toxic when ingested by humans (says the CDC). Its also important to note that these private residential wells would still not be covered under the Safe Drinking Water Act if it governed oil and gas activity as Senator Casey wants it to. The Act only covers water systems that serve more than 25 people regularly.
No doubt, Cabot has been plagued with problems in its foray into the Marcellus Shale. Yet interestingly enough, its wells in Dimock and the surrounding area have been some of the most successful yet drilled. Cabot most certainly needs to be a little more careful. But its misteps in NEPA have done some good -- they've alerted the industry to regional geological conditions that need to be considered when drilling in that area, resulting in changes to how wells are cased in NEPA, where little gas drilling had been done before.
Yet even thought its been investigated and Cabot has been disciplined, Senator Casey seems to think there is still political hay to be made out of this issue -- not Cabot's other problems in the area, but this initial natural gas escape. This makes me wonder what Casey and his staff really know about the realities of living in Pennsylvania's resource rich areas. If he talked to residents who had experience in these issues, he'd find very quickly that natural gas regularly escapes from shallow rock formations -- even when there isn't a drilling rig within hundreds of miles. Its 5th grade science -- materials lighter than air (like gas) look to escape from the earth to the atmosphere whenever they can. Natural gas in shallower formations (not deep non-porous reserviors like the Marcellus) commonly bubbles up through rivers, streams, ponds, and any other avenue it can find.
So why would Casey think it necessary for EPA to come in and "study" a phenomenon that is already well understood and regularly documented in his own state? You guessed it. Partisan Politics. It'll be interersting to see what the reaction is to Casey's posturing from Pennsylvanians -- particularly those in the state that are benefitting from the jobs and economic growth the Marcellus is delivering.
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