[Green] Deep Rock Deep Background

[Dawn Hewitt]

Thanks for this helpful explanation, George. I learned a lot!  But it appears to be truncated mid-sentence. If there’s more at the end, I’d like to read it. 

Again, thank you for this much-needed education.

—dawn

Sent from my iPad

> On Sep 15, 2020, at 1:08 PM, gbanz42--- via Green <green at fuusm.org> wrote:
> 
> Green Sanctuary Committee:
> 
>    A lot has happened with our organized opposition to the application from Deep Rock Disposal to he USACE., especially since statewide and regional groups, like Sierra Club, and even independent oil& gas producers (would you believe?). There was a "people's hearing" by these groups held on August 27. Someone from Sierra Club is hand-delivering the transcript from this meeting to the USACE. I did participate in that meeting. 
> 
> 
>     I have prepared the summary of how fracking waste is produced, transported, 
> and injecting into the ground. I am not a petroleum engineer--but I did stay at  
> a Holiday Inn last night!!.  :-) 
> 
>    Seriously, it has been my observation that fossil-fuel lobbyists and public 
> officials, whose ears they have, portray environmentalists as naive, uniformed, 
> and misinformed on issues related to the scientific and engineering aspects of 
> hydraulic fracturing (we should initially refer to the process with these words 
> rather than "fracking"). With that in mind I have prepared the summary below for 
> the edification of all those involved with the Deep Rock issue.  I think that we 
> should all know as much as we can about this whole process while we are engaged 
> in opposing what companies like Deep Rock are doing. 
> 
> 
>    I have consulted with two petroleum engineers in preparing this summary. 
> There may be a few mistakes in my summary, but I think for the most part it is 
> pretty accurate although my opinions peak through in some cases. If some people 
> are already aware of these facts, I apologize for the redundancy. 
> 
>    Please forward this entire message to the mailing list you have --many 
> thanks. 
> 
>    The Journey of Fluids (Waste) from Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) 
> 
> 1. Hydraulic Fracturing Process. In the fracking process vertical wells are 
> drilled 5,000-8,000 feet below the surface of the earth from drilling pads on 
> the surface.  Perforated piping is then run horizontally in 200-foot sections 
> into geological formations that contain oil and/or gas. A water mixture (up to 
> one million gallons per well) is then pushed through the piping, which is 
> encased in cement material.  This mixture is over 90% water but it also contains 
> sand, acid, and other chemicals, some of which  are considered toxic under other 
> circumstances (disposal companies are not obliged by law to reveal  this mixture 
> of chemicals, even though at  about one per cent of the mixture of one million 
> gallons they do not amount to teaspoon quantities).  Some of this fracking waste 
> is radioactive. As the mixture passes through the perforations, it fractures the 
> rock and releases the oil or gas. When the mixture of oil/gas and water comes to 
> surface, it is placed into separation tanks. The water mixture goes to the 
> bottom of the tank, and oil and gas (in somewhat different ways) go to the 
> surface. The fracking fluids are then transported to injection wells. 
> 
> 2. Transportation. In southeastern Ohio fracking waste is transported in trucks 
> on state highways and local roads. Deep Rock Disposal asserts that transport by 
> barge would be better for the environment and safer than truck transport.. They 
> have not yet responded to the question whether the total amount of fracking 
> waste will be greater if their application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
> for the re-purposed barge off-load facility is approved—that is, will truck 
> transport be completed eliminated if they start transporting by barge? It should 
> be pointed out that barge transport of fracking waste from Ohio, Pennsylvania, 
> and West Virginia will be traveling by barge on the Ohio River. Ohio receives 
> $.05/barrel of fracking waste from OH and $.25/barrel for waste from WV and PA. 
> In 2019 Ohio received 2.5 million barrels of fracking waste. Some think that 
> this is an under-estimate. Washington County leads the state in fracking waste 
> disposal sites with 15. Although barges with the fracking waste will be 
> transported on the Ohio River, which is situated in WV (up to the bank on the OH 
> side), neither the U.S. Coast Guard nor any agency in WV has reviewed the Deep 
> Rock application. There are many other questions about  the Deep Rock 
> application which have been posed to  the USACE at their August 7 virtual public 
> meeting and at the Peoples Hearing, sponsored by the Sierra Club and several 
> other organizations. In order to receive USACE responses and Deep Rock responses 
> to the many questions posed by those interested in this issue, I had to submit a 
> request through the Freedom of Information Act. I have requested through the 
> FOIA the USACE responses to the questions raised at the August 7 meeting, but at 
> this writing I have not yet received them. 
> 
> 3. Injection Wells. .Once fracking waste is received at the injection well 
> sites, it is injected into wells to a depth of about 3,000 feet. Injection wells 
> are prohibited from injecting into geological formations with oil & gas reserves 
> and in close proximity to oil & gas-producing wells. Questions have been raised 
> about whether the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which is responsible for 
> issuing permits for injecting fracking waste, closely monitors these rules. As 
> is the situation for hydraulic fracturing, injection well pipes are encased to 
> prevent leakage and fractures of the piping. Water aquifers are usually located 
> 200-300 feet below the surface. Under ideal circumstances fracking waste should 
> not be seeping into water aquifers or into oil & gas reserves. However, some 
> independent oil & gas producers are reporting that fracking waste is  coming out 
> of their producing wells and destroying them for oil & gas production. These 
> producers have raised this concern to at least one state legislator who has been 
> in contact with ODNR. On September 4, 2020 ODNR announced that they will be 
> conducting an investigation into whether fracking waste is entering water 
> aquifers. It is unlikely that any evidence will be found of fracking waste in 
> the aquifers of the region at this time, but given the shear amount of fracking 
> waste being injected into the ground in this region and the questions about ODNR 
> oversight of rules governing injection of fracking waste, such contamination is 
> possible. These local oil & gas producers are involved in some legal action i
> --
> George Banziger
> 202 Lawton Road
> Marietta, OH 45750-1111
> 740-434-5685
> cell: 740-434-3354
> 
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