Monday, May 9, 2011

Methane Contamination from Fracking

I just ran across an interesting study that might be relevant to Mitchell's section. The study was done by a team from Duke University and was just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Unfortunately, it found potentially dangerous concentrations of methane in water-wells near fracking sites. However, the good news is that there was no evidence of any leaked fracking fluid, and the study's conclusions urge caution but are hardly damning. They call for "greater stewardship, data, and - possibly - regulation . . . to ensure the sustainable future of shale-gas extraction and to improve public confidence in its use."

Here's the abstract:

OUTLINE

Here is a brief, general division of labor for the final project. As discussed, we are going to break down the assignment into three broad parts. The first will try to answer the question. "What is Fracking?"

Secondly, Mitchell will look into the safety and environmental concerns of the process. Is it safe?

Finally, I will look at Fracking in the political realm, trying to answer, "Is it good public policy?"