Industry Issues: Putting the Heat on Gas

The pace of energy development in the West is staggering. Since 1990 Colorado alone has seen a 450% increase in natural gas production, and now has more than 27,000 active gas wells, according to a fact sheet from the Western Colorado Congress, a community action group. This explosive growth puts the energy business into more frequent conflicts with traditional surface uses such as ranching, wilderness recreation, and housing developments. Thus, public exposure to the many chemicals involved in energy development is expected to increase over the next few years, with uncertain consequences. Both air and water quality are affected by extraction of natural gas rich in methane. Sometimes methane must be separated from fluids and other gases in processes that emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Chemicals containing VOCs may also be used when a well is drilled and during a process known as hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), in which chemical mixtures are injected into wells to break up rock formations and release gases. VOCs are also emitted by compressors and other equipment. “Produced water,” groundwater drawn from wells that can contain various salts as well as drilling and fracking chemicals, is usually reinjected underground or placed in evaporation ponds on the surface, from which chemicals including VOCs can be released to the atmosphere. Methane and fracking chemicals can also migrate into shallow aquifers used for drinking water wells. Benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes are naturally present in many hydrocarbon deposits, and may be present in drilling and fracking chemicals. These VOCs can cause symptoms such as headache, loss of coordination, and damage to the liver and kidneys; benzene is a carcinogen as well. VOCs help create ground-level ozone, which can contribute to severe respiratory and immune system problems. Although the EPA issued a 2004 report concluding there is very little risk that fracking can contaminate drinking water, there are some documented contamination incidents. For example, in August 2006, drilling fluids and methane were detected emerging from a hillside in Clark County, Wyoming, from a gas well surrounded by a rural housing development. Ultimately 8 million cubic feet of methane were released, according to the 17 November 2006 Casper Star-Tribune. Subsequent tests showed contamination of shallow groundwater with hydrocarbon compounds. The drilling boom in Colorado’s Garfield County has triggered a rash of citizen