Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
by Jack Z. Smith
University of Texas at Austin researchers will conduct "a comprehensive review of the science, policy and environmental issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing of shale gas," the school's Energy Institute announced Monday.
North Texas' Barnett Shale will be included in the study, which will examine the controversial process that pumps huge volumes of water and sand, plus much smaller amounts of chemicals, under extremely high pressure to create fractures in rock and release trapped oil and natural gas.
The project "will for the first time combine an independent assessment of alleged groundwater contamination and seismic events" ascribed to hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," of shale formations "with a detailed analysis of the scope and effectiveness of laws and regulations" related to the process, the announcement said.
The project is expected "to get started straight away," Gary Rasp, communications director for the Energy Institute, told the Star-Telegram. Preliminary findings are expected by the end of October and a final report by the end of this year, he said.
The Environmental Protection Agency is conducting its own fracking study but doesn't expect to have initial findings before the end of 2012. The EPA study is also expected to include portions of the Barnett Shale.
The Energy Institute is providing the approximately $300,000 for its study, Rasp said.
"What we're trying to do is separate fact from fiction," Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, director of the Energy Institute, said in a statement. "Unlocking huge reserves of natural gas could be vital to our nation's energy security. If proven to be safe and environmentally benign, fracking could unleash a bountiful supply of domestic energy for generations, if not centuries, to come."
The research team "will investigate specific claims of groundwater contamination, seismic events, fugitive air emissions and other concerns" associated with fracking in the Barnett, Marcellus and Haynesville shales, the announcement said.
The Barnett Shale underlies more than 20 North Texas counties, including Tarrant and Johnson, the leading natural gas-producing counties in Texas. The Marcellus is in the Appalachian region of the eastern U.S, most notably in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and the Haynesville is in northwest Louisiana and East Texas.
Copyright (c) 2011, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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