In light of the recent oil spill disaster I was thinking of opening a thread on the Marcellus Shale development. In particular, because the Marcellus shale cuts right through the heart of prime caudate country.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Marcellus shale. Here is a website explaining what it is. (Marcellus Shale Gas: New Research Results Surprise Geologists!). In summary it is a large natural gas deposit that basically sits under large portions of NY, PA, OH, WV. It has been purported to make this region the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. There has been a recent push towards developing this resource. At this time in the US we see the need for energy independence, economic stimulus, and the dangers of continued oil exploration in off shore wells. These aspects make the Marcellus shale a tempting resource especially for this region that has been in economic decline since the 80s.
However, one major environmental problem exists from the extraction process. The biproduct is production of high salt water that can leech into fresh water sources and ruin precious habitat. Unlike oil spills, once the source has been polluted there are little chances of clean up. See a story here Sudden death of ecosystem ravages long creek. The effects can be quite devastating on the local amphibian populations.
The Marcellus coalition has more information about the project. Marcellus Shale Coalition I don't know much about the group though.
Personally I grew up in southwestern PA and I am very aware of the economics of the region, but I also have memories of my searches for caudates where I occasionally discovering mountain streams with orange water that were still polluted with runoff from earlier coal mines.
Given the oil industries recent and obvious overstatement of their own environmental hazards, I'm skeptical when I hear the Marcellus shale can be made 100% safe. However, since it is a resource that is still being developed and policy is still being shaped there seems to be room to come up with reasonable measures to balance environmental concerns with economic ones, and the opportunity exists for the people to be proactive vs. reactive as in the case of the recent oil spill.
So my purpose is to raise awareness and get others opinions. Maybe others have thought more about it and can highlight other risks and benefits.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Marcellus shale. Here is a website explaining what it is. (Marcellus Shale Gas: New Research Results Surprise Geologists!). In summary it is a large natural gas deposit that basically sits under large portions of NY, PA, OH, WV. It has been purported to make this region the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. There has been a recent push towards developing this resource. At this time in the US we see the need for energy independence, economic stimulus, and the dangers of continued oil exploration in off shore wells. These aspects make the Marcellus shale a tempting resource especially for this region that has been in economic decline since the 80s.
However, one major environmental problem exists from the extraction process. The biproduct is production of high salt water that can leech into fresh water sources and ruin precious habitat. Unlike oil spills, once the source has been polluted there are little chances of clean up. See a story here Sudden death of ecosystem ravages long creek. The effects can be quite devastating on the local amphibian populations.
The Marcellus coalition has more information about the project. Marcellus Shale Coalition I don't know much about the group though.
Personally I grew up in southwestern PA and I am very aware of the economics of the region, but I also have memories of my searches for caudates where I occasionally discovering mountain streams with orange water that were still polluted with runoff from earlier coal mines.
Given the oil industries recent and obvious overstatement of their own environmental hazards, I'm skeptical when I hear the Marcellus shale can be made 100% safe. However, since it is a resource that is still being developed and policy is still being shaped there seems to be room to come up with reasonable measures to balance environmental concerns with economic ones, and the opportunity exists for the people to be proactive vs. reactive as in the case of the recent oil spill.
So my purpose is to raise awareness and get others opinions. Maybe others have thought more about it and can highlight other risks and benefits.
