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Two Issues Raised with Fracking

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    Kevin Book of Clearview Energy Partners weighs in on regulation and fracking.

  • Duration 4:09
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-- -- -- But the eight -- in the EPA's latest round of ground water test -- pavilion Wyoming are linking chemicals -- -- the water to fracking operations.

Buying can't have that natural gas company operating in the area.

So could these findings open the door to -- -- -- regulations Kevin book is managing director of research.

-- clear -- energy partners and he's here to weigh in -- Thank you so much for joining us and you know I've read a lot about this story in Wyoming and you have to wonder.

You know was -- this eight faulty -- -- -- practice this kind of anybody who drills well there can be an accident -- mistake bicker constantly like this or do you think that this gives all of fracking a bad name.

Well was so there's two things going on here one is a question about whether or not fracking is safe.

And the second is a battle between state governments in the federal government -- with a first 11.

The question that's being addressed here is whether or not water that contained chemicals came out of the formation and up into the drinking wells in Wyoming.

And the answer is it it appears that there are some of the chemicals that have been traced.

But this isn't a normal formation this is a says that information is much shallower than most of the shale formations where all of the fracking is taking place that's gotten so much attention.

And quite frankly this may actually just be a faulty well so it yeah.

The drug drop.

Yes -- you yeah let's let's talk about it first issue first.

Because people will pounce on it as saying that fracking is not safe in contaminates ground -- and other people say.

Well bad fracking contaminate -- brown water when you make a mistake vs -- which happens mistakes happen.

But it's once in awhile as opposed to any time you do fracking in this type of environment this would happen you know which do you think -- the case.

Yeah well there there are issues that have been on record that have happened above ground water disposal.

The truck dumps the bad stuff in the woods -- the guy wants to get home early that's a terrible disaster and that that could be avoided.

Also well integrity problems do happen sometimes wells aren't put together correctly.

But those have nothing to do with the process that using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal well to free molecules from -- formation.

If those molecules could get up through the formation.

We wouldn't have to -- than two miles down.

Yeah out.

So that's one part of the argument and then you you know very cleverly -- the other party argument which is -- problem is -- -- regulating who jumps it.

Endless -- there's deep suspicion on part of the EPA that states either aren't up to aren't interested in doing that kind of regulating that -- new shale gas revolution requires.

In Pennsylvania there is a faceoff between EPA.

Out over Cabot Oil & Gas well in Texas and Parker county there was a face -- between EPA and the Texas environmental regulators over range resources well.

And this particular he can do well is.

-- really pretty much the only place EPA has a toehold.

What they're doing is they're trying to say look -- guys you're not doing the job we need to be on the job.

That battle's -- the western states in particular we like to fight and they're gonna fight very very hard and you think is right that case.

Well I think that.

And backyards in mind of course they -- in places where there's been a rapid growth like in Pennsylvania.

There was room for suspicion but the test happened EPA said.

Okay we wanna see the results we're gonna test ourselves they went and they spent six months testing ground water wells and came back with the same conclusion.

The state regulators had.

What's happening in those states are making sure they're not getting caught out so they're tightening up their gains it may not be necessary for this kind of top down regulations take place.

And is there a danger -- the top down regulation I mean when you get the EPA involved.

Eat eat it does it create a standard it's easier to follow or does it.

You know create another layer of bureaucracy and slowed down drilling.

Well there's they're both answers come from both both sides of the argument you might imagine.

Where it can be useful isn't in cases where there are standard practices that aren't -- the problem promulgated.

Federal rules can play a role put in a lot of cases geology is local.

Hydrology is local.

A lot of things are done best by local regulators who know their local water sheds and it really makes no sense to have a top down rule that goes everywhere in such a diverse geological.

Assortment as we have the US -- -- very Koppel thanks contact.

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