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The Lack of a Sustainability Approach to Tight Shale Gas Production in a Developing Country: The United States as an E

The Lack of a Sustainability Approach to Tight Shale Gas Production in a Developing Country: The United States as an Example. Bernard D. Goldstein, MD University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health bdgold@pitt.edu June 5 , 2013. Outline of Presentation.

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The Lack of a Sustainability Approach to Tight Shale Gas Production in a Developing Country: The United States as an E

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  1. The Lack of a Sustainability Approach to Tight Shale Gas Production in a Developing Country:The United States as an Example Bernard D. Goldstein, MD University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health bdgold@pitt.edu June 5, 2013

  2. Outline of Presentation • Description of unconventional shale gas drilling (UGD) • Overview of health and social implications of activities related to UGD • Discussion of the misleading communications; lack of transparency; and other tactics that in the long term will hinder the potential contributions of unconventional natural gas to US energy sustainability • Intention is to be in your space: and in your face

  3. My View: What’s the Rush to Drill? - Unfortunately, there is no reasonable scenario in which non-fossil fuels or energy conservation will completely obviate our national need for fossil fuels in the next few decades - During this time it is certain that virtually all of the US tight shale formations will be drilled for natural gas - If approached appropriately as a replacement for coal, natural gas can have greenhouse gas and air quality benefits - In contrast to the Gulf oil deposits, which might be tapped by other countries, the shale gas deposits of natural gas are ours - So what’s the rush? (And I recognize that all members of an industry do not have identical safety culture or environmental commitment)

  4. Usual Progression of Environmental and Occupational Issues Related to Human Health 1) Potentially harmful societal/industrial activities occur before all health and safety information is available 2) Report of adverse health outcomes potentially associated with activity 3) Major public concern 4) Inability to establish cause and effect relationship primarily because of inadequate exposure information.

  5. Conventional and Non-conventional Natural Gas Extraction Methodologies

  6. A typical well pad during development

  7. Drilling Rig in Rural Area Source: WVSORO, Modern Shale Gas Development in the U.S.: A Primer, (2009) U.S. Dept of Energy

  8. from:www.fractracker.org

  9. Potential Sources of Contamination • From the surface • From the casing • Defects during Pipeline Production • Lack of Radiographic imaging • Lack of Pipe Dope • Voids in the cement • Seismic Tests • Pressure Tests • Methane and contaminant migration after hydrofracturing. http://www.total.com/MEDIAS/MEDIAS_INFOS/4562/EN/ZoomEtancheite-EN-3.jpg

  10. 12 Types of Additives for Fracking (0.5% of fluid) Sources: Earthworks. (2011). Hydraulic Fracturing 101. Retrieved Jan 11, 2012, from http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/ hydraulic_fracturing_101#CHEMICALS; EnergyIndustryPhotos. (2008). What is Hydraulic Fracturing and What is it Used for? Retrieved Jan 11, 2012, from http://www.energyindustryphotos.com/what_is_hydraulic_fracturing.htm

  11. Frac Fluid Containers, Washington, PAPhoto Credit: Donnan (2009)

  12. Reasons given by those not in favor of UGD(Goldstein et al, EnvHlthPersp 120:483-486, 2012)Washington, PA public meeting with Natural Gas Subcommittee of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, N=59

  13. Language of the Executive Orders Creating Unconventional Natural Gas Drilling Advisory Committees(Goldstein et al, EnvHlthPersp 120:483-486, 2012) “…task the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) with establishing a subcommittee…to develop, within six months, consensus recommended advice to the agencies on practices for shale extraction to ensure the protection of public health and the environment”(emphasis added) -President Barak Obama in Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future (March 2011) The Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative will assist State policymakers and regulators in determining how gas production from the Marcellus shale in Maryland can be accomplished without unacceptable risks of adverse impacts to public health, safety, the environment and natural resources” (emphasis added) -Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley in Executive Order 01.01.2011.11: The Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative (June 2011) “WHEREAS, the Commonwealth takes seriously its responsibility to ensure the development of natural gas in a manner that protects the environment and safeguards the health and welfare of its citizens” (emphasis added) -Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett in Executive Order 2011-011: Creation of Governor’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission (March 2011)

  14. Agencies, Sub-Agencies, and Commissions specified to receive funding from PA impact fee • County Conservation Districts • State Conservation Commission • Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission • Public Utility Commission • Department of Environmental Protection of the Commonwealth • Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency • Office of State Fire Commissioner • Department of Transportation • Natural Gas Energy Development Program (DEP) • Counties and municipalities • Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund • Commonwealth Financing Authority • Environmental Stewardship Fund • Motor License Fund (DOT) • Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority • Department of Community and Economic Development • Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund (BUT NOT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH)

  15. Potential Pathways for Human Health Impacts Related to UGD • Worker and Community Safety Issues • Air Pollution • Worker and exposure to HF chemicals, silica, diesel exhaust and drilling compounds • Community exposure to air toxics, including benzene; nitrogen oxides, diesel exhaust, ozone • Water Pollution • HF chemicals; flowback and produced waters on site or off site • Physical agents: Light; Noise; Radiation; Explosion • Psychosocial Effects • Exacerbated by lack of transparency and trust issues

  16. Issues in Toxicological Testing of Hydrofracturing Compounds, Hydrocarbons, Flowback Constituents and Related Reactants and Mixtures Fate and transport Hazard of individual compounds and of mixtures To individual species; including humans To ecosystem Dose Persistence Bioconcentration and biomagnification Degradation and reaction products Interactions with existing chemistry and geology of air, soil and water; and in waste streams

  17. Top 6 stressors Ferrar, K. J., Kriesky, J. K., Christen, C. L., Marshall, L. P., Malone, S. L., Sharma, R. K., Michanowicz, D. R., Goldstein, B. D., (2013). Assessment and longitudinal analysis of health impacts and stressors perceived to result from unconventional shale gas development in the Marcellus Shale region. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. DOI: 10.1179/2049396713Y.0000000024

  18. Remaining 6 stressors Ferrar, K. J., Kriesky, J. K., Christen, C. L., Marshall, L. P., Malone, S. L., Sharma, R. K., Michanowicz, D. R., Goldstein, B. D., (2013). Assessment and longitudinal analysis of health impacts and stressors perceived to result from unconventional shale gas development in the Marcellus Shale region. International J Occup Environ Health. DOI: 10.1179/2049396713Y.0000000024

  19. Managing the Story Is hydrofracturing old or new? 1) To the nation’s benefit, new hydrofracturing-related technology now permits extraction of gas that we have long known is trapped in the tight shale formations 2) We have been doing hydrofracturing for decades so there is nothing to worry about

  20. Managing the Story Does hydrofracturing cause groundwater contamination? 1) There is no proven incident in which hydrofracturing has caused groundwater contamination 2) Major water contamination with hydrofracturing agents has occurred as a result of unconventional shale gas drilling activities

  21. Conventional and Non-conventional Natural Gas Extraction Methodologies

  22. Congressional Testimony of Michael L. Krancer, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania “There has been a misconception that the hydraulic fracturing of wells can or has caused contamination of water wells. This is false. …hydraulic fracturing is only a temporary feature of natural gas development, which only lasts a few weeks. Hydraulic fracturing of wells is not new in Pennsylvania, it has been going on here since about the 1950s and has been standard practice since about the 1980s.” From Nov. 16, 2011 testimony to the Congressional Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

  23. Managing the Story • In the Northeast we are told by industry that, unlike the West, there is plenty of water to support hydrofracturing • But industry does not tell us that, unlike the West, our geology does not as readily support deep underground injection, the usual approach to flowback fluids in the West

  24. Managing the Story Industry is now supporting transparency in providing information about chemical agents related to unconventional shale gas drilling • Industry in CO, PA and other states has now agreed to be fully transparent about hydrofracturing chemicals at a local site except for the“minor” issue of Confidential Business Information • Industry need not tell us anything at all about naturally present chemicals brought up from underground; chemical reactants; or “unintentional” or “incidental” contaminants

  25. Other Issues Affecting Public and Policymaker Understanding • Repetitive statements that chemicals could not be harmful as they only represent 1% of the hydrofracturing fluid • Persistent lack of transparency about information

  26. Should information about agents to which they are potentially exposed be withheld from the public? Dispersant used during the BP oil spill as an example

  27. COREXIT 9500 MSDS: NALCO(edited) 2. COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS Our hazard evaluation has identified the following chemical substance(s) as hazardous: Hazardous Substance(s)(w/w) - Distillates, petroleum, hydrotreated light 10.0 - 30.0% - Propylene Glycol 1.0 - 5.0% - Organic sulfonic acid salt (Proprietary) 10.0 - 30.0%

  28. What his/her lawyer should tell a doctor who might want CBI • Once you sign the document allowing you to obtain confidential business information (CBI): • If you release the information you are legally liable for any business loss sustained by the company. (Halliburton values their hydrofracturing secrets at upwards of $200 million) • It is highly unlikely that any such law suit will be covered by your malpractice insurance. So you would need to hire your own lawyers. • If you think the CBI chemical could be causing health problems, state law probably requires you to divulge this secret information to public health authorities. It is not clear whether you are liable if the public health authorities then release the secret information It would take an exceptionally brave (or foolhardy) health care provider to request CBI

  29. Providing Information about Local HF Chemicals Benefits Industry • There is virtually no disease or symptom that could not be caused by one of the more than 400 chemicals originally on the FracFocus list • In contrast, there are many diseases and symptoms that would not be plausibly associated with a list that only contains a handful of chemicals.

  30. Environmental Recidivism: Disclosures Not Required Under New State Laws Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a vendor, service provider or operator shall not be required to do any of the following: (1) Disclose chemicals that are not disclosed to it by the manufacturer, vendor or service provider. (2) Disclose chemicals that were not intentionally added to the stimulation fluid. (3) Disclose chemicals that occur incidentally or are otherwise unintentionally present in trace amounts, may be the incidental result of a chemical reaction or chemical process or may be constituents of naturally occurring materials that become part of a stimulation fluid. Emphases added

  31. Managing the Story Should we be more worried about what is put underground or that is brought to the surface and then must be disposed of?

  32. Managing the Story • Exposure and ecological effect studies are under way with cooperating industry

  33. ACCIDENT vs INCIDENT

  34. Source: FracTracker. (2011). FracTracker. Retrieved Jan 11, 2012, from http://www.fractracker.org/

  35. Risks to Communities of Rapid Growth(Boom and Bust) • Strained Municipal Services • Higher housing prices • Poor Quality of Life • Increased crime • Out-migration of residents • Overbuilt and Unplanned Construction • Uneven costs and benefits (Corrosive Communities) • Long-term: de-diversification, income inequality, low educational attainment; environmental contamination and loss of property values (Adapted from Jacquette, 2013; Kriesky, 2012)

  36. Decrease adverse psychosocial impacts by increasing transparency and trust Message to industry: 1) Literature clearly shows that citizen involvement in decision processes decreases perception of risk 2) Industry states that the perception of risk of hydrofracturing is untrue and not fact-based 3) If so, then it is in industry’s best interest to support citizen participatory processes, and information gathering and dissemination. Will you do so?

  37. HOW TO INFURIATE THE PUBLIC Kathryn Klaber, President of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said "Every single Pennsylvanianhas more money in their pocket today — to save, invest and help make ends meet — as a result of plentiful natural gas development from the Marcellus Shale,“ (emphasis added) http://www.lchic.org/safe-communities/marcellus-shale-information/marcellus-shale-news/172-benefits-of-natural-gas-production-realized-by-every-single-pennsylvanian

  38. “Marcellus Natural Gas Developments Effect on Housing in Pennsylvania”Center for the Study of the Community and the Economy • Landlord Response Landlords are responding to the increased demand for rental property. A few have decided to not raise rents and stay with current renters. More landlords are not renewing leases or even evicting current renters so that they can raise the rent to a level that only gas industry employees can pay. Williamson and Kolb; Lycoming College; Sept 31, 2011, p12 http://www.housingalliancepa.org/sites/default/files/resources/Lycoming-PHFA%20Marcellus_report.pdf

  39. SHALE GAS ACTIVITIES: FOUR CERTAINTIES • Surprises Unforeseen threats to human health will be detected. • Disease Clusters Clusters of adverse health effects will occur and be litigated in communities in which unconventional shale gas drilling activity has occurred, whether causally related or not. • Psychosocial Disruption Exacerbated by inadequate planning, and by uncertainty, secrecy and mistrust 4) Less Pollution Over Time Industry will find ways to recycle fracking chemicals (which they buy); and emit less of their product (which they sell)

  40. Sustainability and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  41. Sustainability Framework

  42. Sustainability Framework Level 1

  43. Sustainability Framework Level 2

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