US Forest Service supports public fracking

The Virginia Petroleum Council (VPC) Executive Director, Michael Ward, has commended the US Forest Service on adopting a management plan for the George Washington National Forest that will not prevent the state from pursuing responsible energy development, using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, on public lands.

Ward commented: “The success of domestic natural gas production depends on our ability to produce energy from shale through hydraulic fracturing, and the industry is committed to ensuring that it will continue to be employed in a safe and responsible manner. Natural gas is an enormously versatile fuel that helps power our nation’s economy. Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing is helping to unlock the tremendous economic and job creation benefits that Virginians, and all Americans, need and want.”

Fracking has been used in approximately 1800 wells in Southwest Virginia since the 1950s, according to the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME). More than 5600 coal bed methane wells are producing natural gas by hydraulic fracturing or other extraction methods in the Commonwealth. Operations that use hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling support more than 18,000 jobs in Virginia and this number is projected to rise to more than 38,000 in 2035, according to a study by IHS.

“The industry is creating jobs throughout the supply chain in Virginia and throughout the country that pay about double the average salary for all industries. Thanks to innovations in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, America’s potential as an energy superpower is growing, and businesses of all types in the Commonwealth are growing with it,” Ward continued.

Fracking is regulated under a number of federal statutes, including the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. The method is also rigorously regulated at the state level, where local officials develop standards based on the unique geology and hydrology of their regions. In most cases, hydraulic fracturing is conducted well below ground, separated from groundwater sources by thousands of feet of impermeable rock. The fracturing mixture is 99.5% water and sand, and the chemicals making up the remaining 0.05% are publically disclosed.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/19112014/hydraulic-fracturing-in-washington-state-108/