Worth The Fracking Risk

In response to Nirmal’s blog regarding fracking, though I honor your opinion that there are risks when hydraulic fracturing is used, I feel there are basic facts that were left out that would be helpful. This summer I have had the privilege to intern for a petroleum engineering firm that consults with many companies and have had the challenge of researching recycled “frac” water. To be more accurate Schlumberger defines hydraulic fracturing as: “A Stimulation treatment routinely performed on oil and gas wells in low-permeability reservoirs. Specially engineered fluids are pumped at high pressure and rate into the reservoir interval to be treated, causing a vertical fracture to open. Proppant, such as grains of sand of a particular size, is mixed with the treatment fluid to keep the fracture open when the treatment is complete. Hydraulic fracturing creates high-conductivity communication with a large area of formation and bypasses any damage that may exists in the near-wellbore area.” Your definition misleads because fracking can be done either vertically or horizontally. Hydraulic drilling that was used as far back as the 1860’s in which vertical hydraulic fracturing was used and is still used today; therefore, stating that it is only horizontal would be misleading.  

You addressed the use of millions of freshwater from areas in Michigan as a wasteful endeavor and equated it to the use of water used in Texas. In general, fracking uses .5 - .8% of water the state uses daily. Also, in the Permian Basin, recycling “frack” water is predominantly the method used there and they are able to prevent unnecessary fresh water usage. In fact, there are companies all over Texas that implement the recycling of “frack” water despite the cost to the companies. Too, there are many companies that now use a brackish water mix to lessen the use of fresh water. This is vitally important in presenting this debate so the public is fully informed. 

Despite your comment about the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing jobs, there is a website (Frac Focus) in which companies list the fluid composition that identifies chemicals being used. You allude to the toxins that are added to the water used to complete the hydraulic fracturing; however 99.5% of the process uses water and sand and only .5% uses chemical additives. These additives include sodium chloride (table salt), ethylene glycol (household cleaners), borate salts (cosmetics), sodium potassium carbonate (detergents), guar gum (found in foods including ice cream), and isopropanol (found in deodorant).  As you can see the items that make up the .5% are used in our daily lives and are actually consumed by humans on a regular basis.

I appreciate your blog and the dilemma that fracking presents to the everyday citizen, but would encourage further research. Based on your pro and con list I can certainly see why you came to the conclusion you made, but after further research I believe you would agree that fracking is worth the risk.