Poland and Fracking - Lessons to be Learned - Ban Fracking In EU

by Ban Fracking - No Fracking Ireland Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:10

"Europe’s most ambitious shale gas plans were in disarray yesterday after ExxonMobil announced it would pull out of exploration projects in Poland. Poland’s lucrative reserves had spurred hopes of transforming Europe the way a shale boom has left the United States brimming with supplies.

That was until a government report revealed the country’s likely reserves were about a 10th the size of previous estimates. A spokesman for Exxon in Poland said the company had not decided yet what it would do with its exploration licences.

Poland has granted 112 shale exploration licences even as some countries, including France and Bulgaria, have banned shale exploration pending further environmental studies. – (Reuters)"

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2012/0619/1...ebook

"(Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) has decided not to go ahead with its shale gas exploration projects in Poland because its test wells failed to produce commercial quantities of gas, daily Gazeta Wyborcza reported in its weekend edition.

The paper quoted a spokesman for the U.S. company's Polish arm as saying that Exxon made the decision after testing two of its wells in Poland, which is being closely watched as a potential of natural gas from shale.

The spokesman was not immediately available to comment further.

Exxon, which holds six exploration licenses in Poland, said in January it would evaluate its options after the unsuccessful tests.

A government report in March slashed estimates of Poland's shale gas reserves to 346 billion to 768 billion cubic meters, or about one-tenth of previous estimates, denting hopes for an energy source that could play a key role in weaning Europe off Russian gas.

Other foreign players seeking shale gas in Poland, the European Union's largest Eastern member, include Chevron (CVX.N) and Marathon (MRO.N).

(Reporting by Chris Borowski; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/17/us-exxon-pola...20617

by Ban Fracking - No Fracking Ireland Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:15

A ban on fracking

Sir, – The effectiveness of Pat Rabbitte’s announcement of regulations that include a €3 million fine for the gas drilling industry (Home News, June 9th) should be seen in the light of: 1. New York’s waterboard report which states that in event of fracking polluting its water supply, rectifying it would cost an estimated $6 billion; 2. A €3 million fine amounts to .0075 per cent of the estimated value of gas our government gave to the drilling companies.

Extensive monitoring and enforcement is promised. Elsewhere this industry, in the courtroom, has used the fact that pollution occurs anywhere up to a mile below the surface and has dismissed gas discharges at ground level as “natural”.

Therefore regulations will have to be cleverly written and data collected before drilling commences. No solution to ground water pollution and gas and ground water mixing has been found. So a complete ban on fracking is the only intelligent approach.

Mr Rabbitte promises “monitoring and enforcement” of safety standards, but his department has not enough trained personnel to inspect Dublin housing funded under the rent supplement scheme. How does he intend to inspect what is happening a quarter of a mile underground – including how the concrete tube, formed in place under typical Irish conditions of running water, is doing its job. This fragile tube is the only barrier preventing ground water pollution.

Abandoned and commercially unprofitable wells remain a possible source of pollution. Wells drilled in Leitrim 40 to 50 years ago show evidence of gas leakage. I wonder how often these have been inspected or who could be held responsible should they prove a problem in the future?

According to the latest commissioned Government report “fracking presents a manageable risk”. This would require trained personnel and a massive upfront fund to administer favourably, not just strongly worded regulations. – Yours, etc,

DONNACA KENNEDY,

Corryolus,

Carrick on Shannon,

Co Leitrim.

by Ban Fracking - No Fracking Ireland Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:25

"Recently, politicians and publications have conditionally endorsed so-called "safe fracking" as a part of the nation's energy mix. But safe fracking is an impossibility, and the industry's claims for it are knowingly based on false premises.

Chief among them is the notion that a "leakproof well" is possible. We've heard time again that strict regulation is the key to moving forward on fracking, and that new regulations should make sure that industry constructs leakproof wells that do not pollute the water table. There is no such thing as a leakproof gas well. The gas industry knows this; in fact, it has known it for decades.

The part of the gas well that they're relying on to protect groundwater is simply cement: about a 1-inch-thick layer between the steel casing and the surrounding rock. Cement is permeable before it sets, subject to cracking afterward and can never be made leakproof. A 1-inch layer could never be adequate when groundwater is at risk.

The gas industry's own documents and case studies show that about 6 percent of cement jobs fail immediately upon installation, and recent experience in the Pennsylvania Marcellus shale has borne this out over and over again.

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection has tracked gas leaking from wells across the state. They found 6.2 percent of new gas wells were leaking in 2010, 6.2 percent in 2011 and 7.2 percent so far in 2012.

When the cement fails, it opens a pathway for gas and other toxins involved in the drilling and fracking process to migrate into groundwater and to the surface.

Cementing failure was what caused the blowout of the Macondo Well in the Gulf of Mexico, the ongoing enormous gas leak in the North Sea and contamination of groundwater onshore from Pennsylvania to Wyoming. Over the nearly four years the "Gasland'' film team spent researching the issue on the ground, there was nowhere in the hundreds of cities and towns in 20 states we visited that didn't have a significant groundwater contamination problem resulting from drilling and fracking.

The gas industry has been studying the ongoing problem for decades, and knows it full well. In a report entitled "Well Integrity Failure Presentation," drilling service company Archer reports that nearly 20 percent of all oil and gas wells are leaking worldwide. A 2003 joint industry publication from Schlumberger, the world's No. 1 fracking company, and oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips, cites astronomical failure rates of 60 percent over a 30-year span. Industry reports on the problem point to its persistence and the impossibility of completely preventing it.

This is technically impossible. In most cases the industry only acts to try to repair leaky wells after groundwater has been contaminated. Its track record for fixing leaks is plagued by bad planning, technical problems and mishaps. To imagine gas companies voluntarily committing to an eternity of costly maintenance on wells failing at ever-increasing rates is beyond credulity.

Nor have regulators addressed the problem with any realism. The argument that regulation can lead to "safe fracking" is senseless. To frack a well, you have to cement it, and cement inevitably fails. "Safe fracking" is a contradiction in terms.

Leaking oil and gas wells are more than statistics. Failure rates mean thousands across the nation have enough contaminants in their water and land to render them unfit for residential or agricultural use. They're left with homes they are forced to abandon, and compromised health.

Yet we've almost totally failed to assess health impacts of fracking. The one study we know of is a preliminary one done in Colorado by the Colorado School of Public Health. It found a likelihood of moderate to severe health affects from drilling and fracking. Members of the New York state Legislature have joined with environmental groups to demand a full public health impact assessment before fracking is authorized here.

A health assessment is minimum due diligence when our water supply and public health hang in the balance. It's not only the gas wells that have integrity problems; it is the oil and gas industry itself. We can believe in their self-interested assertions of leakproof wells about as much as we can expect pigs to fly. On both fronts, the only course is to rely on objective evidence."

Fox is the director of the film "Gasland." Arrindell is the director of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability.

by Ban Fracking - No Fracking Ireland Wed Jun 20, 2012 17:59

"Anyway, the guy you really gotta come to terms with is Josh Fox. Because this little film about the troubles with fracking in New York is pretty damn good. Among other things, he’s got some damning info from the industry on well failures that you might want to have a look at. Whatever you think of the film, one thing is for sure: It’s gonna be seen by a lot of people – a lot of voters, governor. So as you ponder how and when to lift the ban on fracking in New York, give it a look. Journalists like myself will be interested to hear your response to the question Josh addresses to you at the end of the film: "Governor Cuomo, what color will the sky be over New York?"

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-aff...Bv0UA

by John Burke - none Wed Jun 20, 2012 21:28

Fracking is clearly mans way of expressing his true insanity. People who let this industry into this country need to be struck down by the hands of those who may be affected which in this case is 12 counties plus half of Northern Ireland. For Enda Kenny and Fine gael to remain silent on this issue when there are countless countries been destroyed by this very industry is an act of "Treason". I do not use this word in jest as no other expression can be called upon I will also include in the "Treason" catergory the Labour party. The saying comes to mind as I type you all might remember it from school times, , "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
I suppose we have to ask ourselves do we know now at this present moment that they do know in fact what they are doing, they can blame Banks, Bondholders, EU pressure at the end of the day it wont wash I for one have had it with this government and all that have passed. If they are going to try and commit eco cide with a huge section of the rural population and our mother river so help them God as they will need it. This time we have the facts and the notice, ignore us at your peril Enda and co.

by water drinker Wed Jun 20, 2012 23:35

Fracking is a complete scam and the epitome of cynical amoral capitalism at it's worst.

The business model consists of getting a licence, raising the value of the company then selling it on.
It's called "pump and dump"
The wells quickly peter out and more have to be drilled, as the gas leaks out in all directions.
In the states, the proliferation of wells and selling on of companies is proof of this pattern.

The pollution is externalised and left to the taxpayer to deal with as the companies take the money and run. It's naive in the extreme to believe these wells will be properly monitored. They will destroy our water resources. This, at a time when water is becoming a more valuable resource and water taxes are coming in.

by Kate - Ban Fracking Thu Jun 21, 2012 14:56

http://www.propublica.org/article/injection-wells-the-p...th-us

Great article on how America is poisoning it's land and people.

by Gerry Seger - Just Me Sat Feb 09, 2013 00:22 gfrms at charter dot net

I have been poisoned with Methane Gas Toxicity and have been working to Ban Fracking around the world. I tried for MONTHS to contact US and State Government Officials by sending them my story and Medical Toxicology results and they all replied that there is NO harm in Fracking. Cornell Veterinarian College traveled to six US States and tested dead and dying animals. These animals died within FOUR hours of drinking water at the toxic fracking wells. Other animals and fish are sick, non-productive, or dying as the water drains into rivers and streams. Gag Oders have been put on Doctors in PA so they can not tell what is wrong with their patients. My Doctor who diagnosed me, has been sued several times, they tried to close his office and take away his license for telling of the toxic chemicals in his patients and what they relate to. My lungs, blood, hair analysis all showed the toxic petro chemicals and solvents in me are identified in Methane Gas. If you would like to read my story and read what symptoms I have, contact me at:

[email protected]

You may use any part of my story to STOP Fracking in the World.

Gerry Seger, Michigan

by Gerry Seger Wed Feb 13, 2013 18:15 gfrms at charter dot net

I talked to a lady yesterday who lives a few miles from me and all the promises that the Gas Companies make about disposing of the Toxic Waste Water from Fracking is a LIE. She told me that trucks go by her house daily and they are dumping this toxic waste water in the swamp area near her home, killing the eco system and destroying her water source, which of course will spread out futher and further with the toxins in the water table. Gerry Seger, Michigan

by Gerry Seger Wed Feb 13, 2013 18:26 gfrms at charter dot net

Please read this article about Michigan, USA and the Fracking Disaster we are experiencing. Gerry Seger, Michigan

http://ecowatch.org/2013/mi-frack-job-national-record/#...59466