It’s new. It’s coming. It will create thousands of jobs. Ohio is one state that has been targeted for development. Profits are immense for the energy companies and potentially for the states that allow it. Lawyers are preparing to help you sign. Lease your land. Be part of the future. Have you heard this hard and soft core sell?
Northeast Ohio has the promise of developing jobs, but it also has the prospect of damaging the environment on a scale not yet seen in the history of the country. What’s all the fuss? The fuss is about hydraulic fracturing and the potential economic and environmental impact
What is Fracturing? Simply put, hydraulic fracturing uses 5 to 7 million gallons of fresh water, mixed with sand and chemicals in order to exert great force and pressure deep into the ground to the shale level. The mixture of water, sand and chemicals under such high pressure causes the development of fractures in a rock layer. Hydraulic fractures form naturally, as in the case of veins or dikes, and are means by which gas and petroleum from source rocks may migrate to reservoir rocks. However, the Energy companies can attempt to accelerate this process in order to release petroleum, natural gas, coal seam gas, or other substances for extraction. The energy from the injection of a highly-pressurized fracking fluid creates new channels in the rock which can increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of fossil fuels
Many will say fracturing has been around since the mid 1940s. However, the new methods, introduced in the 1990s, use high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Once the water reaches deep enough, horizontal fracturing is used in the completion of tight gas and shale gas wells. The horizontal reach can be more than a mile. This means the geographic landscape under ground needs to be perfectly understood or the chance of creating earthquakes greatly increases.
Fracturing and water: 200 tankers arrive where well storage tanks are located. The injection well receives the sand, water and chemicals and are added for processing. Fresh water is taken to fracking site. Water, sand and chemicals are added and sent sometimes 1 mile below the earth to begin horizontal fracking. The water, now a brine with hazardous chemicals is recovered, sent on tankers to Ohio to be injected into old wells. If there are faults of any kind, seismic activity results. Additionally, there are issues with the number of tankers, diesel generators at the well sites, and leaking pipes that cause air quality problems. The process begins again.
Some of the environmental and social impacts include:
- Well integrity – the cement casings, etc.
- Toxic chemical use
- Water sourcing
- Water waste storage, recycling and disposal
- Air emissions
- Need for community consultations: noise, traffic, vision of the community, impact on health – basically, the common good.
Right now the issue is so new, most experts, state and local officials are studying the impact. There have been many town hall meetings and newspaper articles about fracking, particularly in Ohio. Keep informed about the issue. Industry has a 20 year plan for Ohio. How about our plan for the environment in Ohio?
What have you heard about fracking? What do you think?
Notre Dame Sister Kathleen Ryan is the Director of the Diocese of Cleveland Social Action Office. She is responsible for creating and implementing programs and pursuing legislative advocacy for peace, social and economic justice. She is beginning her 25th year at Catholic Charities and the diocese after a nineteen year teaching career. She recently was named Coordinator of the Sisters of Norte Dame, Chardon, OH, Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation Committee. 
The Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio, belong to an international congregation of more than two thousand apostolic women religious. We are one in mind and one in heart for the transformation of the world in Christ. 
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I was in NE Ohio recently and saw signs objecting to fracking. Thank you so much for the explanation and the links to the definitions. This was very helpful information.
Is there no safer way to get to these resources?
“Water for Life” is the corporate stance of the SND Chardon Province taken by the Sisters in 2005 and supported by ND Associates. We are actively concerned about the reality of fracking… in OH, PA, NY, VT, CO, WY, everywhere in the nation where this process occurs.
Currently fracking is exempt from the safety net of the Clean Water Act. This puts ground water and all our streams, lakes and rivers at risk…with little recourse when contamination occurs. The vital health of all life forms which depend on water is in harms way from fracking.