Study

Study: Fracking In The Delaware River Basin Would Threaten Health Of 45,000

August 13, 2015 Natasha Geiling, www.thinkprogress.org Educate! Delaware River, Environment, Fracking, Public Health, Study

By Natasha Geiling in Think Progress - Encompassing the longest free-flowing river in the eastern United States, the Delaware River Basin also happens to sit partially on top of the Marcellus Shale, the second largest gas field in the world. To date, a moratorium put in place by the Delaware River Basin Commission has kept gas companies out of the Delaware River Basin — but environmental groups worry that without a permanent ban, the basin could be opened to fracking at a moment’s notice. Now, a new study seeks, for the first time, to quantify the environmental impact of opening the Delaware River Basin to fracking — and what natural gas extraction could mean for the communities that call the region home. The Delaware River, which begins its flow from springs tucked away in New York’s Catskill Mountains, winds for nearly 400 miles before emptying into the Delaware Bay and, eventually, the Atlantic Ocean.

Key Greenhouse Gas Study “Systematically Understated” Methane Leaks

August 6, 2015 Sharon Kelly, www.desmogblog.com Educate! Climate Change, Environment, Methane, Science, Study

By Sharon Kelly in DeSmogBlog - The study's key contribution to the science on methane leaks was that researchers were allowed to access to oil and gas wells, including 27 wells where fracking was underway, and test individual pieces of equipment. “This is actual data, and it’s the first time we’ve had the opportunity to get actual data from unconventional natural gas development,” Mark Brownstein, an Environmental Defense Fund associate vice president, told FuelFix when theUT study was published. But the problem stems from the tool that the University of Texas study used to collect its data – which can malfunction when leaks are spewing at high rates. The “University of Texas study underestimates national methane emissions at natural gas production sites due to instrument sensor failure,” Mr. Howard, who invented the basic technology used by that instrument, wrote.

Analysis Of Health Threats From Oil & Gas Pollution

January 23, 2015 Jhon Arbelaez and Bruce Baizel, www.earthworksaction.org Educate! Environment, Study

California is wine country known for its tourism, agricultural, and entertainment industries, but to the more than 5 million residents living within a mile of oil and gas drilling operations, it’s oil country. Tens of thousands of active wells produced nearly 200 million barrels of oil in 2013, making California one of the largest oil producers in the country. Despite the fact that so many citizens reside close to oil and gas facilities, neither the industry nor state regulatory agencies have adequately investigated the impacts on public health. No extensive studies have been conducted to determine how communities and people living close to oil and gas in California are affected. In order to begin to understand the impacts of oil and gas development on California communities, this project conducted an investigation of health and air contaminants in two communities living in close proximity to drilling operations - Lost Hills in Kern County, and Upper Ojai in Ventura County.

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