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Shale GasWhat A New York Town Should Do
Separating Fracks from Fiction
James “Chip” NorthrupCooperstown & Texas
New York Is Unprepared
Not prepared to capture economic benefits
Not prepared for the environmental impacts
Regulations not in place at any level
Meet the Frackers . . .
Not your usual well Massive truck traffic
Massive wastewater 21st century tech. 20th century NY regs.
Not your usual well
Frackonomics For NY State
Gas production is tax exempt in NYS
Out-of-state producers avoid income tax
Local government absorb unfunded costs
Crews are not New Yorkers
Frackonomics For Local Government
Property taxes fail to capture value - valuation of wells is tricky Unfunded road repairs- road use plans must be in place
Residential property will lose value - wells can be drilled anywhere in NYS
Frackonomics for Individuals
Property values go down for homeowners
Quality of life goes down for most
A few benefit - for awhile
Crews and suppliers are not locals
Frack Baby Frack !
“We need the money/jobs” – When did we not ?
Sold too much too soon NY drillers are prospectors
Rules are not in place Copyright © 2009 FIREHOW LLC
Haste Makes Waste
Don’t Let Your Town Get Fracked
Pass a moratorium Road use agreements in place
Property fully appraised Protect residential values
Be Prepared with Rules and Regulations Upfront
Environmental Problems
Massive amounts of truck traffic– County and towns must address this
Spills and blowouts pollute groundwater– New York water wells vulnerable
Frack wastewater must be disposed of– forever
New York More Vulnerable Than TexasShale gas fracking was developed in Texas
Texas New YorkFrack wastewaterdisposal wells: 12,000 none
Environmental agency:does not issuewell permits
DECissues well permits
Terrain Climate: Flat, treeless Hilly and wet
Tap aquifersWater wells: Tap groundwater
NY Not as Prepared as Texas
Lakes andaquifers
owned bymunicipalities
owned by NYS except NYC
Revenues taxes gas
production directlygas production
tax exempt
Local controls road use, zoning No controls
All locals Few localsWork force
no trout streams in Texas . . . . . .
Texas New York
A Lot of Fracking Trucks
1,200 tankers per well6 wells per site 7,200 trips
No road use agreementsNo funds to repair roads
Frack Truck Solutions
Road use agreements must be in place Routes limited and designated Permits issued
Get Proactive on Road Use
Probability of water pollution 15 - Probability of water pollution 15 - 30%30%
New York water uniquely vulnerableNew York water uniquely vulnerable
Dimock, Pa. well waterDimock, Pa. well water
Most Pollution is at the Surface
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Drilling and Frack Pits Overflow Containment of Fluids Onsite
© 2010 HVPA
2009-2010 Copyright Rodale. QuickTime™ and a
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Solution = No Open Pits in your Town
propargyl alcohol glutaraldehyde methanol dibromoacetonitrile butoxyethanol ethylene glycol Mystery Ingredients
Tests Wells Before Fracking Begins
Frack Fluid Is Hazardous to Your Health
Frack Fluids Contaminate
200,000 gallons per drilling site New York water wells tap groundwater No protection for NY lakes
Today’s spill is tomorrow’s drinking water
Protect Your Town From Spills
Drill/ frack operations contaminate water
33% of Cabot Dimock wells cited for spills
13% Cabot wells gassed groundwater
Pa.DEP has cited over 1,500 violations
“Design Conditions” vs New York
Posted by David Kozlowski on May 09, 2010
Water contamination is a show stopper in New York
Water contamination less an issue in arid, sparsely populated area with deep water wells and city-owned lakes, like Texas
NY Groundwater Wells VulnerableTex Aquifer Wells Less Vulnerable
Who Controls the Water ?
Texas lakes and aquifers owned or controlled by cities
Only New York City owns its lake water
“Open season” on other NY lakes
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How to Protect Your Water
Non-toxic fracking fluids near water sources Test wells before fracking begins and after No fracking within 1000’ feet of a water well No open pits for drilling or fracking fluid State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR)
– in watersheds of sole source drinking water lakes– In floodplains and wetlands
Mass Quantities of Frack Wastewater
DEC classifies fracking fluids as “Hazardous waste”
…but classifies the fracking flowback as “Industrial waste”
1. Inject hazardous fracking fluids 1. Inject hazardous fracking fluids into groundinto ground
2. 10,000 psi pressure @ 200+ degrees 2. 10,000 psi pressure @ 200+ degrees
3. Frack leaches radium from shale3. Frack leaches radium from shale8,000,000 gallons toxic wastewater per site
Radium In New York Frack Flowback
Frack fluids leach it from shale
Marcellus loaded with radium
267 x the safe limit
No place to dispose of it in NY
Fracking Wastewater Pollutants
Radium 226 Uranium ? Radon
Hydrochloric acid Methanol Glutaraldehyde Propylene glycol Propargyl alcohol
Where To Get Rid of all this Fracking Wastewater ?
No frack water disposal wells in New York – closest are in Ohio
No frack water treatment plants in New York– none planned
DEC’s response?
Nowhere in New York . . .
The Used Uranium nonSolution
Industry proposes to recycle frack wastewater
This increases its toxicity with each use
Nuclear plants built without fuel disposal plans
Re-use of frack flowback repeats that mistake
Fracking Wastewater Solutions
Classify frack wastewater as “hazardous”
No open frack flowback pits Keep disposal wells out of your town
Keep wastewater out of your town
An Unfunded Burden on Your Town
DEC under-funded and under-staffed
DEC trumps local controls No protection for roads or residences
No money from state for spills or roads
The Big Apple’s Big Carve Out
DEC gave NYC reservoirs “special protection” from shale gas fracking – based on politics, not science
Radiation and toxic chemicals from spills and wastewater are not “sediment” . . .
Your Town Needs NYC Safeguards
Just how Bad is the dSGEIS?
1st draft, well set-back 50’ from lake
2nd / current draft, set-back moved to 150
DEC Director quit/ fired Scrap the dSGEIS
Tell Albany To Do This
Tax gas at the wellhead Scrap the proposed draft regs. Equal protection for all water Local controls over local problems
Until you get all of the above . . .
What Your Town Can Do Now
Pass a moratorium Prohibit industrial uses Adopt local controls
– steep slope, tree ordinances, flood plain
Enforce road use agreements Fully assess well values
Moratorium on Shale Gas Fracking
Send a message to Albany Today
No shale gas fracking in township until– NYC regulations applied to all towns – EPA study on shale gas is complete– Gas production is taxed by the state– County road use plans are in place
Prohibit Noxious Industrial Uses
Prohibit all industrial uses in the township
No frack wastewater facilities No frack waste disposal wells No compressor stations Ag exempt
Steep Slope Ordinance
Well pads and gas lines ruin hillsides
Prohibit development on slopes > 15%
Ag exempt Residential by SEQR
Tree Ordinance
Well sites and gas lines clear-cut forests
All large felled trees must be replaced
Or new trees planted off site Ag and forestry exempt
Road Use Plan Finished
Be proactive with your county
Town center is off-limits to frack convoys
Road use permits enforced Routes enforced
Property Tax Assessment on Wells
New York regulations inadequate Assessments won’t capture value Town assessors must get prepared Fully value the wells on tax rolls
Details available from Otsego 2000
Resources
Road Use Plans and Permits– Todd Mathes [email protected]
Water Testing – Steve Penningroth
Municipal Regulations – Michelle Kennedy [email protected]
Now Go Get Busy
