Fracking Safety Improves Dramatically, Says Independent Study
Fracking is getting safer and should present no major environmental problems in New York when the state allows drilling to commence—that’s the headline from a
university-funded study released today by the Shale Resources and Society Institute at the University of Buffalo.
A team of researchers from UB,
University of Wyoming and Penn State University examined violations at almost 4,000 natural gas wells in Pennsylvania between January 2008 and August 2011. The peer-reviewed study found approximately two-thirds of the 3,000 violations were administrative, 38 percent were environmental, and only 25 were deemed “major,” defined as site restoration failures, serious contamination of water supplies, major land spills, blowouts and venting and gas migration.
The majority were “due to operator error, negligence, or a failure to follow proper procedures when drilling,” according to the report. “This suggests that the industry has room for improvement, and the frequency of environmental events can be reduced,” the authors wrote.
The safety profile of hydraulic fracturing has improved dramatically in Pennsylvania since 2008. Environmental violations as a percentage of wells drilled dropped by more than half over the course of the years examined. The study—the first based on comprehensive data rather than on anecdotal claims or selective reports—contradicts claims by anti-fracking groups that shale gas extraction is poorly regulated in Pennsylvania and that the environmental dangers are increasing.
“This study presents a compelling case that state oversight of oil and gas regulation has been effective,” said University of Wyoming economics professor Timothy Considine, who was the lead author. “Regulatory learning and technological progress has been considerable over the past four years.”
“While prior research has anecdotally reviewed state regulations, now we have comprehensive data that demonstrates, without ambiguity, that state regulation coupled with improvements in industry practices results in a low risk of an environmental event occurring in shale development, and the risks continue to diminish year after year,” Considine added.
Horizontal hydraulic drilling uses water mixed with minute quantities of chemicals to crack shale and release gas. High-volume fracking is a hot issue in New York, which currently bans the process. Regulations proposed last year in preliminary form by the Department of Environmental Conservation are still under review.
John Martin, co-author of the report and director of the newly founded shale gas institute, said the incidents could have been avoided or lessened under New York’s proposed regulatory framework.
“New York’s current regulations would prevent or mitigate each of the identified major environmental events that occurred in Pennsylvania,” Martin said. “It’s important that states continue to learn from the regulatory experience—both strengths and weaknesses—of others.”
Jon Entine is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Health and Risk Communication and at STATS at George Mason University.
