Firm wants to buy city water for drilling

The Finance Committee of city council took no action Tuesday on a proposal for the city to sell water to LBG Land Services which would, in turn, sell the water to oil and gas well drillers expected in the area later this year.

Committee Chair Councilman K. Bret Apple said the proposal will have to be examined further with input from city council's Utilities Committee and the city Utilities Commission.

Capitol Development, Ltd. President Chris Gagin, who previously worked for former U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, and the company's chief financial officer, Linda Bolon, who was Columbiana County's former state representative and former treasurer, made the proposal on behalf of LBG Land Services of Cadiz.

They're asking for a two-year water services agreement at a price of $10 per 1,000 gallons of bulk water purchased, with the company picking up the costs for meters and equipment to haul the water. Gagin said the company would be looking to purchase 200,000 to 300,000 gallons of water per day on an as-needed basis, pointing out the water did not have to be potable, or ready to drink. It could be fresh, raw water.

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Land Application of Hydrofracturing Fluids Damages a Deciduous Forest Stand in West Virginia

In June 2008, 303,000 L of hydrofracturing fluid from a natural gas well were applied to a 0.20-ha area of mixed hardwood forest on the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia. During application, severe damage and mortality of ground vegetation was observed, followed about 10 d later by premature leaf drop by the overstory trees. Two years after fluid application, 56% of the trees within the fluid application area were dead.

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New Jersey Lawmakers Send Christie Ban on Hydraulic Fracturing

The New Jersey Legislature sent Republican Governor Chris Christie a measure to ban drilling for natural gas using a process called hydraulic fracturing, which environmental groups say contaminates drinking water.

The measure passed the state Senate 32-1 and the Assembly 56-11 with 8 abstentions yesterday, according to the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services website. If Christie signs the bill, it will be the first statewide ban on fracking in the U.S. The governor won’t comment until state lawyers review the legislation, Michael Drewniak, his spokesman, said yesterday in an e-mail.

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New York, New Jersey considering gas drilling restrictions

New York environmental officials proposed a ban on drilling for natural gas with hydraulic fracturing in two major watersheds and on all state-owned lands while permitting it on private land only under "rigorous and effective controls" codified into state law.

Also Thursday, the New Jersey Legislature sent Republican Gov. Chris Christie a measure to ban fracking, which environmental groups say contaminates drinking water.

If Christie signs the bill, it will be the first statewide ban on fracking in the U.S. New York's legislature passed a similar ban in 2010 that was vetoed by Gov. David Paterson, who later imposed a temporary moratorium.

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Duke study finds “systematic evidence for methane contamination of drinking water associated with shale gas extraction”

As shale gas has emerged as potentially significant source of fuel for this country, it has come under increased scrutiny.  A NY Times series raised concerns about pollution of surface waters by the wastewater produced during drilling of natural gas wells using hydraulic fracturing.  A recent study by Cornell University researchers called into question the conventional wisdom that gas is far better than coal in terms of its carbon pollution, in part because of concerns of methane leakage during and after fracking.

Now comes a new paper by Duke University researchers that documents “systematic evidence for methane contamination” of household drinking water wells by shale gas drilling in Pennsylvania and New York.

The study, which the authors said was the first scientific examination of water contamination near shale gas drilling operations, found that water supplies within one kilometer of drilling sites were contaminated by methane at 17 times the rate of those water wells farther from gas developments.

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Incidents where hydraulic fracturing is a suspected cause of drinking water contamination

Ohio: In 2007, there was an explosion of a water well and contamination of at least 22 other drinking water wells in Bainbridge Township after hydraulic fracturing of a nearby natural gas well owned by Ohio Valley Energy Systems. According to the State investigation, one of the contributing factors to this incident is that: “the frac communicated directly with the well bore and was not confined within the “Clinton” reservoir.”

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Transient work force a problem

While there was optimistic discussion of jobs, concerns turned to the impact of hundreds of new workers on community services and what to do about chemical-laced water that drillers pump underground to crack the shale and release natural gas.

Douglas Hill, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, said some counties and municipalities are starting to struggle with an increase in out-of-state workers and specialized legal work accompanying a transient work force. He said some employees are on probation in other states, wanted on other states' warrants or involved in domestic disputes.

"When you come from out of state, you don't have the community support -- the family, the church, the friends -- to keep you out of the system," Hill said.

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