Environmental Concerns in the Marcellus Shale

• Date: 01 March 2014
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/basr.12027
• Published date: 01 March 2014
• Author: William Beaver

Environmental Concerns in

the Marcellus Shale

WILLIAM BEAVER

ABSTRACT

Hydraulic fracturing used to remove natural gas from the

Marcellus Shale has raised environmental concerns in

the region both in terms of air and water pollution. This

article will examine those concerns and how the natural

gas industry has responded to them. After discussing the

issues related to groundwater contamination and air

quality. I discuss industry responses and how the costs

and harm associated with fracking could be reduced,

with the knowledge that despite opposition from environ-

mental groups, fracking will continue. The hope is that

more drillers will begin to operate in a socially respon-

sible manner that will allow companies to be profitable

while limiting harm to the environment and to individu-

als living near drilling sites.

INTRODUCTION

The Marcellus Shale is a large formation of nonporous rock

about a mile or more beneath the earth’s surface, located

under parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Maryland,

and West Virginia. Trapped in the nonporous rock or shale are

William Beaver is Professor of Social Science, Robert Morris University, Moon Township, PA.

E-mail: beaver@rmu.edu.

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large amounts of natural gas. Estimates vary but perhaps there

are 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that can be removed—

enough to supply the country for many years. Although shale gas

is plentiful, there did not seem to be a cost effective way to recover

it. However, about a decade ago, natural gas prices began to rise,

and the industry looked for ways to increase supply. It had been

known for some time that a technique called hydraulic fracturing

or fracking, which dates back to the 1940s, could be used to

extract the gas. Fracking, as it is currently practiced, involves

boring down thousands of feet and then drilling horizontally.

Small explosives are then set-off, creating holes in the sides of

the well. A mixture of water, sand, and small amounts of che-

micals are then injected under high pressure that which

fractures the shale releasing the gas, which flows up the well

along with the waste water.1The process turned out to be less

expensive than anticipated to the point that fracking now

accounts for nearly 40 percent of all the natural gas produced in

the United States. Pennsylvania has become the focal point of

fracking in the Marcellus region where nearly 9,000 wells have

been drilled. Conversely, Maryland and New York have placed a

moratorium on fracking and have yet to decide whether or not

they will allow it.

Both industry officials and political leaders are quick to point out

the economic benefits of shale gas, with thousands being employed

generating millions of dollars for local economies. Such messages

are driven home by countless industry-sponsored television and

radio ads touting the benefits of hydraulic fracturing, while other

commercials portray drilling companies as going to great lengths

to protect the environment. Proponents of fracking also stress

that natural gas has significant environmental advantages. For

instance, carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas-fired power

plants are roughly one-half those of coal, whereas large vehicles

such as buses that run on natural gas are typically 25 percent less

polluting than their diesel or gasoline counterparts.2Nonetheless,

there are significant environmental concerns associated with

hydraulic fracturing that involve both water and air pollution. The

purpose of this article will be to examine those environmental

issues and how the natural gas industry has responded to them in

the Marcellus region, which is more densely populated and where

drilling of such magnitude is unprecedented.

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