EPA Finds Fracking Fluids In Tainted Water in Wyoming

Despite claims by drillers that the shallow depth of natural gas deposits in Wyoming could explain the presence of off-smelling and tasting water in parts of the Pavillion deposit field, the EPA found that natural processes alone could not explain why chemicals used in hydrofracking (fracking) showed up in test wells.

The draft report, after a three-year study by the Environmental Protection Agency, represents a new scientific and political skirmish line over whether fracking, as it is more commonly known, poses a threat in the dozens of places around the nation where it is now being used to extract previously unreachable energy resources locked within rock.

The study, which was prompted by complaints from local residents about the smell and taste of their water, stressed that local conditions were unusual at the site, called the Pavillion field, in that the gas wells were far shallower than in many other drilling areas around the country. The shallow depth means that natural gas itself can seep upward naturally through the rock, and perhaps into aquifers.

But the suite of chemicals found in two test wells drilled at the site, the report said, could not be explained entirely by natural processes. The agency’s analysis of samples taken from deep monitoring wells in the aquifer indicated the presence of synthetic chemicals, like glycols and alcohols consistent with gas production and hydraulic fracturing fluids, benzene concentrations well above standards in the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards, and high methane levels.

Also complicating the inquiry is the Pavillion field’s long history. The oldest wells there were drilled 40 years ago or more, and chemicals that might have been used were not required to be listed or reported to anyone.

This has repercussions for the fracking of the Marcellus field in New York, where the state DEP is examining proposed regulations on allowing fracking, and which could affect the New York City watershed. No one really knows what chemicals were used 40 years ago in the drilling processes, and while it is plausible that the chemicals found in the test wells could be the result of decades-old contaminations, it still shows that those chemicals can migrate into well water and aquifers in and around the natural gas formations.

It means that the energy companies have to do a whole lot more to protect the watershed than they are now doing, and that fracking has to be carefully so as to prevent contamination of the watershed and aquifers. So, while fracking might not leave much of a trace on the surface, the underground damage could be substantial and far more long-lasting than the energy companies are willing to admit.

It means that regulators, politicians, and local groups have to be a whole lot more careful about accepting fracking and the promises of a clean and environmentally responsible fracking process. It means that the energy companies have to be far more careful in their use of fracking fluids that can lead to irreparable harm to aquifers and the watersheds.

It's a Lovely Day For a Moondance

As Mrs. Lawhawk and I were driving along the backcountry roads between Kemmerer, Wyoming and Jackson Hole, we had to do a double take when we came through the town of La Barge, Wyoming. There stood in all its refurbished glory the Moondance Diner.

This diner originally stood in SoHo in New York City before it was relocated a few years back. It also was a major backdrop in the original Spiderman movie starring Kirsten Dunst - she was a waitress there hoping to catch her big break on Broadway.

Mrs. Lawhawk took this photo using her Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 point and shoot camera. It's a tremendous camera at a bargain price and works wonders as a backup to a DSLR since it has image stabilization, a full range of manual settings, wide to telephoto from 27 to 486, and all manner of style shooting for someone who doesn't want to fidget with manual settings. This camera also has HD video in several modes. All together, it's got pretty much all of the features photographers and dabblers want and need in a small and lightweight package.

Photo of the Day

 

If you look real carefully at the bottom right corner of the photo, you can see a satellite trail. This photo was taken with a 30 second exposure using my Canon Rebel XTi.

Photo of the Day

If this photo looks familiar, it may be because you've seen it in the movie Close Encounter of the Third Kind, or on stamps commemorating America's National Parks and National Monuments. Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming was the first declared national monument and it was not without controversy then, or now. Native Americans who lived in the area never called it Devils Tower, preferring to generally call it Bear Lodge. Early American explorers referred to it as Bear Lodge as well, but one such explorer decided to call it Devils Tower, claiming that some unidentified Indian tribe called it that.

That's the name that stuck.

Still, some would like to see the name changed, particularly because Native Americans hold the mountain sacred and regularly make visits there to make offerings to their gods.

 

The Forgotten Caucus

Did you know that today is the Wyoming caucus? Stuck between Iowa and New Hampshire, Wyoming is overlooked, as the media is focused solidly on New Hampshire. Only Republicans are involved, and 12 delegates are at stake. Everyone figures that Romney will handily take the state under the arcane caucus rules. Three GOPers didn't even bother to campaign in the state at all: John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Rudy Giuliani. Romney has visited the state twice, and his family has been quite active there. Jim Geraghty thinks the caucus results will go as follows:

Discussions with local county chairs suggest the following results, or something along these lines, would not be surprising: eight delegates for Romney, two delegates for Thompson, one delegate for Ron Paul, and one delegate for Duncan Hunter.

UPDATE:
Romney has taken the early lead.