Pennsylvanians will have a better grasp of the effects of natural gas drilling once the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completes a study.
EPA officials are focusing their gaze on Washington County, in southwestern Pennsylvania, which has more wells and compressor stations than any other region of Pennsylvania. Washington County, like parts of northeastern Pennsylvania, lies on top of the sprawling Marcellus Shale deposit. Drilling companies have flocked to the area to tap the natural gas trapped in the shale.
The EPA's findings should help clarify questions that have been raging over the environmental impacts of shale drilling on the Keystone state's air and water. The agency began last September conducting a variety of tests and will remain in the area for several more months.
The Corbett administration has touted the natural gas drilling industry as an important component of Pennsylvania's economy, stressing the jobs it provides along with precious revenues and "clean" energy.
However, drilling opponents have raised questions since the beginning over the safety of the hydrofracturing process, called "fracking," that drillers use to break up the deep deposits of shale and extract the gas from them. The technique requires the injection of a mixture of water, sand and chemicals - drillers aren't required to say which chemicals - and, later, the hauling away and safe disposal of the wastewater. Furthermore, compressor stations that prepare the extracted gas for transport emit nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and airborne particulates. EPA scientists should be able to tell whether these emissions are minimal or are degrading the air quality in areas around the stations.
Drillers are making a fortune on natural gas, and Pennsylvanians themselves stand to benefit economically from the additional commerce. But there have been problems. Methane has contaminated the groundwater, and thus the drinking water, for some residents in rural Dimock, Tioga County. Chemical spills have occurred at drill sites. Just recently a western Pennsylvania man admitted he'd dumped chemical-laden frack water in old mine shafts.
The EPA assessment will weigh the risks of drilling against the benefits by monitoring how drilling and its spinoff activities affect our natural environment. Our beautiful Pennsylvania landscape should not become a cash cow at the expense of Pennsylvanians' quality of life.
- Pocono Record