Shale Gas

The Nov.16 Commentary piece by Mark Olsthoorn, "A sensible shale gas policy," was remarkable for what it omitted. After reading about Mr. Olsthoorn's work in the Netherlands on sustainability, I am flabbergasted that he managed to write a whole piece on extracting natural gas without once mentioning the unconscionably high price that comes with this "clean" energy. He mentions hydraulic fracturing without telling readers that the toxic stew pumped into the earth to unlock this gas is polluting the drinking water of millions of Americans.

The oil and gas industry promotes the myth of shale gas providing energy security and economic growth, but those claims are based more on hype than fact ("Anti-fracking legislation is premature," March 7). A Food & Water Watch study in 2011 showed that one job claim was exaggerated by 900 percent. Betting our future on the supposed abundance of natural gas - likely about a six-year supply - would simply perpetuate America's destructive dependence on the oil and gas industry. The only security enjoyed by fracking would be the security of the industry's profits when they turn Maryland into a dumping ground for wastewater and a way station for exporting fracked gas overseas through Cove Point.

Just shortly before Christmas, the op-ed section of this fine newspaper was used to perpetuate a message of fear and to spread half-truths regarding a real opportunity for Maryland. Del. Heather Mizeur, our esteemed colleague from Montgomery County, implied, as her central thesis, that if Maryland does not follow New York's lead and pass a "moratorium" on a certain technique for natural gas drilling in the state, then the Chesapeake Bay would likely be set ablaze. Putting a moratorium on natural gas drilling for fear that some may eventually find its way into the Chesapeake Bay would be akin to eliminating Maryland's burgeoning bio-tech industry as a way to prevent bio-terrorism.

Times are good these days at the Linde Corp., where despite a sluggish economy nationally, the company is on a hiring binge. The construction company, based near Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania, has seen its workforce nearly triple over the past five years as it switched from helping to build big-box stores to laying miles of natural gas pipelines connecting hundreds of gas wells drilled in the rolling rural terrain here in Susquehanna County....

Reports that shale gas may not be as plentiful as people thought are getting lots of attention. Last week the Energy Information Agency sharply cut its estimate of shale gas -- from 827 trillion cubic feet to 482 trillion cubic feet, reports the New York Times . Estimates for the Marcellus Shale in Appalachia cut cut from 410 trillion cubic feet to 141 trillion. But this is like telling a Powerball winner: Oops, you only won $50 million when we told you it was $100 million. Even 482 trillion cubic feet of accessible shale gas is a huge increase over what was thought available in the nation five years ago and will have profound effects on the energy economy.

The Wild West scene playing out in western Pennsylvania holds warnings for Maryland on the need to manage a precious, finite resource like shale gas with great care. If you haven't heard about this energy source yet, you will soon. Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and other Appalachian states all have a rich vein of Marcellus shale, buried thousands of feet underground. Locked in the shale is a huge quantity of natural gas. Combining two technologies — hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling — allows energy companies to free these valuable reserves.

The House today passed legislation aimed at safeguarding western Maryland landowners from potential harm from drilling for natural gas in shale deposits in mountainous Garrett and Allegany counties. One bill,  HB1204 , would require the gas industry to finance the state's ongoing study of safety questions around the widely used but controversial drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking. "  Amid fierece debate over fracking's impact in other states, Gov.Martin O'Malleylast year ordered his administration to conduct a wide-ranging three-year review before approving any drilling permits - but state officials had said they lacked funding to carry it out.   By a vote of 88-49, delegates approved a one-time fee of $15 per acre on all new and existing drilling leases so the Maryland Department of the Environment could complete the study.  In deference to industry supporters who complain the delay in drilling is excessive, the fee was scaled back, and lawmakers directed the department to speed up its review, finishing in 2013 rather than 2014, as now called for under the governor's executive order.

D rill, baby. Just not in the ocean, where there probably isn't much new oil anyway. Head for the mountains, where newly available reserves might hold 10 times the energy estimated to be off the East Coast. Hopes for a new way of extracting natural gas have been bright for more than two years, after claim-staking "landmen" stormed Appalachia from New York to Tennessee. Now interest from Exxon Mobil and other corporate giants has prompted some smart people to start portraying "shale gas" as a very big deal that shatters assumptions about energy prices, America's power supply and the future of transportation.

President Obama's State of the Union speech to Congress last night focused largely on jobs, taxes and income inequality, but it had plenty of red meat in it for those concerned about energy and the environment. He vowed to continue to push for "clean energy" while touting the economic potential of shale gas and defending environmental regulations.  He defended government incentives for developing solar, wind and high-tech battery industries, but called for an end to longstanding subsidies for the oil and gas industry.  "It's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has been more profitable and double down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising," he said.  But he renewed his call for an "all-out, all-of-the-above strategy" to develop every available source of American energy, and said he was directing his administration to open up more than 75 percent of potential offshore oil and gas resources for drilling.

Commentator Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr.'s arguments in favor of shale oil drilling are deeply flawed ("Fracking: Don't let fear hold us back," Oct. 12). After a summer of record flooding, we are entitled to a healthy fear of what gets flushed from old wells, industrial sites and waste water holding pits. More to the point, hydraulic fracturing to extract shale oil and gas is a frightening health threat. Dr. Walter Tsou, past president of the American Public Health Association, told the Philadelphia City Council that "politicians have explicitly avoided the public health question because if they were really confronted with it, they would stop hydraulic fracturing.

An advisory commission studying whether shale gas extraction should proceed in Maryland called Monday for new legislation to deal with potential abuses in leasing and drilling for the fuel, but environmentalists said so many questions remain about the safety of the drilling method known as "fracking" that they want lawmakers to impose a moratorium until the issue has been fully analyzed. The 15-member panel appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley agreed during an Annapolis meeting to recommend three bills to address concerns about the hydraulic fracturing drilling method, including a proposed state "severance tax" on any gas extracted to help pay for effects on nearby communities.

A new study predicts that exporting the nation's cheap, seemingly abundant supplies of natural gas will boost the U.S. economy, giving a nudge to prospects for shipping liquefied fuel abroad from a nearly idle terminal in the Chesapeake Bay. The report, commissioned by the Department of Energy , finds that the economic benefits gained from exporting liquefied natural gas, or LNG, outweigh the impact that higher domestic fuel prices may have...

In a recent commentary ("Say yes to LNG," Nov. 13), Dan Ervin of Salisbury University correctly asserts recent industrial innovations in drilling technology - known generally as fracking - have led to an enormous surplus of natural gas in our domestic market. Resulting historic low gas prices benefit the consumer but challenge the profit margins of the energy industry. Mr. Ervin argues exporting LNG can raise the price of natural gas and therefore re-start high production rates, in the process creating jobs and revenue.

In his recent commentary, ("Say yes to LNG," Nov. 14) Dan Ervin does The Sun's readership a disservice by glossing over the risks of exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Maryland. Mr. Ervin ignores the fact that such exports will increase Marylanders' gas bills and impose serious health and environmental risks by driving up dangerous natural gas fracking. Exporting LNG is the natural gas industry's solution to an unprecedented surge in domestic production. Faced with a glutted marketplace and always looking to increase profits, the industry is seeking to liquefy the gas and send it overseas from places like Cove Point.

An industry group is accusing the Chesapeake Bay Foundation of misrepresenting the facts in a video investigation the environmental group released last fall purporting to show natural gas wells and processing facilities spewing invisible plumes of pollution into the air. Energy in Depth , an arm of the Independent Petroleum Association of America , says the plumes captured on CBF's video using an infrared camera are not surreptitious releases...

Dominion Resources, the Richmond, Va.-based energy producer, said Thursday it will move ahead with plans to convert a liquefied natural gas terminal at Cove Point in Calvert County into an export facility — a decision that drew the immediate objection of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club said it has a right to reject the project, citing a legal settlement that the environmental group said prevents Dominion from exporting the fuel to other countries, instead of just importing it. But Dominion disagreed with the group's assertion.

In a recent commentary ("Say yes to LNG," Nov. 13), Dan Ervin of Salisbury University correctly asserts recent industrial innovations in drilling technology - known generally as fracking - have led to an enormous surplus of natural gas in our domestic market. Resulting historic low gas prices benefit the consumer but challenge the profit margins of the energy industry. Mr. Ervin argues exporting LNG can raise the price of natural gas and therefore re-start high production rates, in the process creating jobs and revenue.

— It's quiet these days at Dominion's liquefied natural gas terminal in the Chesapeake Bay. Only five tankers docked last year at the pier a mile off the Calvert County shoreline, and not much traffic is expected this year, either. But thanks in large part to booming production of natural gas from shale deposits in neighboring states, the East Coast's largest LNG terminal could be bustling again in several years — exporting the heating and industrial fuel to other countries, instead of importing it. Dominion, based in Richmond, Va., has won approval from the Department of Energy to use Cove Point for exporting liquefied natural gas to about 20 nations with which the United States has free-trade agreements.

With just a few days left in Maryland's legislative session, a number of environmental bills appear to be languishing in Annapolis, prompting activists to worry that time may be running out to get them passed. Two of Gov. Martin O'Malley's legislative priorities - to raise funds for Chesapeake Bay cleanup and to promote development of offshore wind projects - have passed the House but have yet to be acted on by their respective Senate committees.  Sen. Joan Carter Conway, chair of the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, said Wednesday evening that the inability of House and Senate leaders to agree on the budget is holding up action on O'Malley's bill to double the so-called "flush fee. " "That comes with the budget," said Conway, a Baltimore city Democrat.  "It's a bargaining tool.

With "fracking" once again in the news, Maryland Public Television is airing a timely examination of the controversy around the controversial method for extracting natural gas. At 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday (3/21), MPT broadcasts " Fracking: Weighing the Risks ," looking at the pros and cons of drilling for gas in Marcellus shale deposits in Appalachia.  The 40-minute documentary portrays the divisions within western Maryland, where some farmers yearn for royalties from gas wells to help them stay on the land while others fear that drilling could destroy their water supply, their property and their health.