Ohio and fracing ?

Saw it earlier on facebook.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ohio-regulators-link-seismic-activity-fracking-23290973

 

Like all the rest. No proof.. Someone thinks it is connected. Likely connected etc. To date not one event proven to be caused by process. Just like global warming theory although this is more likely to be found to be true.

Far cry from the headlines used to scare us. One would think it is proven science if just reading headline.

 

Acctualy it's more or less the fact, that the vast majority of land leases for mineral resources are controlled by 3-4 companies in Ohio. Most of our hydrocarbon reserves are in the far east of the state. About 100 miles west of the border, the whole way up. Not a lot of land area, but a hell of a lot of money sitting underneath that ground.
Why is that important?

Really simple: Less ground to plumb = less ground to defend. The guys that operate the gas wells, and the oil wells all the way from Ashtabula all the way to Meigs county, aren't willing to give an inch of their claim.

What's more, the landowners with these mineral rights (primarily rural farm owners) are standing with them for a very good reason: a massive gas/oil fracking boom would pay out extremely well, over a very short period of time. Compare that to the fact that they're getting paid pretty ###### good in the first place with already established and operating gas/oil collection units, over a longer period of time and you have a simple answer to your question: Gas and oil fracking will not come to Ohio unless our governor forces it through. This would make him very unpopular with the core of his supporters, whom are again, the land owning farmers that enjoy their current mineral rights setup.

I can't blame them. My granfather owns 150 acres in Ashtabula (Lenox), and has several gas wells. He's not planning on selling to any newcomers any time soon, because he knows he can get a better rate selling for, admittedly, less, but over a much longer period of time.

Truth is, we don't need fracking here, we're doing a fine job of pulling this crap out of the ground without forcing it out of the ground.

 

So what? That doesn't change the FACT that there is no repeatable scientific evidence at this time that the fracking process harms ground water or causes earthquakes. May be in future . But your sob stories are no more proof then the BS the global warming-oops I forgot they had to change it to climate change-hacks. Been billions of $s and jobs thrown down toilet on that one. Guess we ought to hide our heads in sand and do it again on someones hunch. Not. Those that don't get a cut are quick to point fingers at those who through investment, inheritance, however are profiting.

 

I'm still waiting for someone to prove that several small earthquakes is not a good thing... relieving the pressure in small increments vs having a major quake sometime in the future.

 

Oops! Sorry, forgot to clarify that portion of my comment.
Wrote that kind of late in the evening.

We're a bit early into fracking in this area. Too early to have a geologist shout "FRACKING IS CAUSING EARTHQUAKES!" The longer term effects of fracking in Ohio are as of yet, unkown. We have some frack wells around here, it doesn't seem to be playing out well for the folks who own the land being leased.

Some of my close friends in West/Mid North PA have had some pretty bad things happen with their land.

Back in `08 the now Shell owned East Resources approached these people wanting to sink some prooving wells on their property. They already had a few passive pump wells operating on their property, steadily producing good money and East Resources wanted to see how much was left in the ground. Turns out, it was quite a bit. Not a kings ransom, but enough to pay off 200+ acres, the house sitting on it and still have money left over to sit high on the hog for a while. These folks signed off on a well lease and ER brought in their drilling equipment. Struck 2 wells, and set up collection units. The wells produced steadily for at-least a year before tapering off to the extent that they weren't overly prosperous- ER decided to shut the wells down and asked to place a passive pig pump on the property.

Fast forward two years, about a few months ago, things were getting weird. Crops failing on the well water used to support their feed stocks, the corn just wilted into oblivion after 2/3 waterings last season, water smells funky and a few shallow (1-2 feet depressions) sinkholes near the well, even though they're "Very deep wells."

DCNR (state Natrual resources dept) came by to check their water table. It's not looking good. Heavy metal minerals, benzine and several other oil byproducts contaminating the water "Under acceptable levels."

It's not known how long it will take to dissipate these containments from the water table. As of now, the land is paid off, but it's sour. Can't grow anything without a fixed source of water, and theirs is filled with toxins and carcinogens that is killing anything they try to grow with it.

This and a few other wells made local/regional and some national news outlets not too long ago.


Sinkholes and toxins aside, the guys in Ohio are making less money over a longer period and they're happy with that. The 3-4 companies that control the vast majority of proven wells will periodically continue to defend the ground they have claims and leases on with news and stories such as "Fracking is causing earth quakes in Ohio."
It may or may not cause earth quakes, but that's irrelevant when it comes to fracking because this area is already filled with water contaminates from slag run off (steel industry) and all the ground contaminates from the coal that was used to fire said steel.
Do we really need to destroy this area anymore than it is?

Ashtabula alone has 3 Superfund sites in it, between old union carbide plants and PCB production, the rivers are some of the most polluted in the state. There was also a uranium processing center that, almost 10 years after closing, is still not cleaned up to a safe extent.

I'm no hippy liberal eco defender, but instead share the same general sentiment as the majority of east Ohioans with large companies coming through and destroying our farms; we've had enough, we're weary of anyone coming through and offering big money for little effort.


Source: I lived their for 20 years.

 

Anyone who violates the known safe process and causes other harm should be hammered. I hate these execs hiding money in personal and family things. If they screw up they should pay and not be protected. They stand to make big money. But the media also loves to over hype problems. Down here reporting 2.1 and small tremors as earthquakes. They are not called that by National monitors. They are called tremors and over 15000 a yr happen all over the country. Only those near oil site are jumped on mostly with lies and misinformation. Of the 10s of 1000s of wells fraced in last 60 yrs you can count the problems on one or two hands. The jury is still out on if they cause quakes. Looks like it's going to be found only the injection wells are doing this. Lot of companies here in TX working on economical ways to clean water so it can be reused without having to inject. They will figure it out. But like I said if people are damaged and it is proven to be oil company or their sub they should get clobbered. Those that do it right and don't cheap out are never heard about.

 

Agreed.
Friends believe Eastern Resources tried pulling the contract as soon as they found out containment had failed, knowing this ground would be turned into a toxic mess (which it has.)

They're running on spare/reserve cash to keep their Kon-yat's eating, but that will only last so long without having the ability to grow the majority of their own feed. Meanwhile they're in the process of gathering evidence with their neighbors that the companies ER outsourced the jobs to, fouled up the job through inexperience and short cuts, in order to take them to court. IT's pretty unlikely the land will become useable within in their lifetimes and the current rates of seepage and clearing.

Sad but true.
This and a lot of other facts are keeping these boys out in Ohio very timid when it comes to allowing fracking. We've got a couple guys that want to actively frack, but you'll find they're mostly pig farmers, guys who's recent harvests have been decimated by this new strain of E.Coli running rampant in these parts; they're loosing everything and they see fracking as their last chance...even though it's likely they don't have the necessary reserves to sell that land for enough to save them.