This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
refineries, the gas stations, the leaking underground storage tanks – but with regard to what’s going on in an oil well a mile or 2 miles deep, I haven’t seen any evidence yet that the practice has created a problem, although we do have some unexplained water quality results that we are looking into,” he said.


Watch a video about the fracking process, www.energyfromshale.org


Fracking is used to extract natu- ral gas in many parts of the country and has caused some controversy. A 2010 documentary film called Gasland depicted the alleged impacts of fracking activities on residents of several states, including one man in Colorado who ignited the gas coming through his kitchen faucet. Rather than fracking, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission attributed the flammable faucet to biogenic meth- ane, which is found in some shallow, water-bearing geologic formations, into which water wells are sometimes completed.


The fallout from Gasland and the attention directed at fracking by celebrity activists has put the spotlight on the oil and gas industry as well as federal, state and local government agencies.


“Fracking wasn’t on a lot of


people’s radar until recently but with all the media attention now it’s more in focus and ACWA is one of those organizations that’s taking a look at the potential for what it could possibly do to groundwater,” said Danielle Blacet, regulatory advocate with the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA).


Because of the emerging informa- tion about fracking, ACWA has yet to establish an official stance on any regulatory protocol, she said. “We are on a fact-finding mission with a lot of other organizations, trying to get as much educational material as possible and working with our members who are in areas where there is fracking


September/October 2012


so if they are having concerns then we can advocate for them and talk to the appropriate agencies,” she said. Environmentalists are reacting to “fast moving developments” regard- ing fracking in California and are concerned about the threats to water quality and water supply, said Damon Nagami, senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), at the symposium. “A big problem in California is a serious lack of information,” he said. “Our water supply is extremely con- strained so we need to know how much water fracking uses so policymakers can make the necessary decisions.” NRDC and others have called for a moratorium on fracking until it is proven safe to groundwater. “We believe in the precautionary approach,” Nagami said. “Until we know we have information about this practice, why are we putting our drinking water supplies at risk? There is absolutely no reason to do that.”


The oil industry supports an approach that concentrates on ensur- ing fracking is done in a manner that protects the aquifer and adjacent groundwater wells. “Well construction is the critical point; we need to focus on how to protect groundwater and this is an area where we think the state does an excellent job,” said Tupper Hull, a spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA). “Nobody has ever said hydraulic fracturing has adversely impacted the groundwater or caused any other environmental concern. The record is highly commendable.”


Fracking falls between the cracks, so to speak, when it comes to state oversight. The Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) oversees oil drilling operations, but since fracking occurs in existing wells, there are no specific rules for its use. “California is fragmented in how it does government and we are very narrowly focused,” said Rob Habel, chief deputy supervisor with DOGGR. “We want to prevent damage [to oil


“Fracking wasn’t on a lot of people’s radar until recently but with all the media attention now it’s more in focus and ACWA is one of those organizations that’s taking a look at the potential for what it could possibly do to groundwater.”


– Danielle Blacet, ACWA


Watch the trailer for Gasland, www.gaslandthemovie.com


Watch the trailer for Truthland, a rebuttal to Gasland, www.truthlandmovie.com


5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15