The End of the Road

Last evening (Sept. 13, 2012), I attended a presentation given by Helen Shackleberry about fracking in Pennsylvania and other areas closer to me in Michigan. I could not use her real name to protect her from retribution. This presentation was definitely an eye opener for me and others who attended this event.  I conducted some research to explore further after this presentation because I was made aware that fracking is occurring in Cheboygan county in Michigan where my adult daughter and her family including my two grandchildren live. It’s not that I don’t care about the people in Pennsylvania, however this is hitting too close to home. 

Let’s go into what is involved in fracking.  First of all a hole is drilled 10,000 feet into a 40 foot layer of rock referred to as Utica/Collingwood formation in Cheboygan county which encompasses underground 20 northern Michigan counties. A protective lining is inserted for the first part of the drilled hole closest to the opening. It does not always prevent its intended purpose of preventing toxic leakage. Then approximately five million gallons of water from our Great Lakes, rivers, etc. is pumped into the hole with great force along with toxic chemicals such as arsenic and HCL.  Earthquakes have been associated with the fracking in Oklahoma and other states.  It only makes sense that earthquakes could be the devastating result of fracking. 

After this process is completed and natural gas is located, it is sucked out of the hole by using a vacuum process.  The polluted water is burned off into the air until what is coming from the hole is pure natural gas.  The fire was reported as being at least 200 feet high.  Elizabeth could see the fire from her home which was separated by very large hills and her home.  The large conglomerate from Canada called Encana Corporation is behind the fracking operation in Cheboygan County. 

This is a reality folks in Michigan.  According to a report prepared by Michigan State University entitled Michigan oil and gas development: A mid-year update, drilling in Michigan was down 22% for the first half of 2012.  A total of 66 wells were drilled between the dates of January 1st to June 30^th compared to the higher numbers in 2011. Jackson and Lenawee Counties were the previous focal points for the majority of the drilling activity.  There were 19 well completions in these areas.  However, 14 applications are still pending for new wells and just two of the 28 permitted well drillings are reported to date as producing in the Kalkaska and Cheboygan counties. What lies in the future for these counties concerning the air quality, water quality, and peace and tranquility of these areas?

Helen reported that her health and the health of many others in the area in the rural area of Pennsylvania she resided in suffered greatly.  She knows of people who died due to life threatening illnesses.  People who were healthy the year before, then became very ill and were met with an untimely death shortly after they were diagnosed with a host of possible ailments . Helen, who was an avid outdoor person, was reduced to staying indoors or limiting where she went hiking and walking to where the air didn’t make her sick.  The dirt roads to her home and the area were always under continuous repair because of all the truck traffic.  She was run off the road by the large trucks during the winter months and the roads were impassable most of the time due to the heavy truck traffic.  Her quiet beautiful serene home became a loud polluted industrial zone. 

Before the fracking began in her area she paid for an independent study that was approved by Penn State concerning her water supply as a safety measure.  According to Helen, because of the proposed fracking, the water study involved the measure of chemicals that would not usually be included in other water studies to test for purity such as the level of arsenic that may be in the water. Upon reading research I discovered that arsenic can be a problem that many areas experience concerning their water supplies.  It was explained in the State of Michigan’s Triennial Report that organic arsenic is not lethal, it is the inorganic form of arsenic that can be lethal.

Back to the water study, Helen didn’t report a follow up water study that was conducted after the fracking began or perhaps she did and I missed that part of her report.  She told me at a later date that they were still fracking so a follow up report could not be conducted. I would be curious to see what those results would be.  She was asked if the air quality was tested before and after the fracking and she said it was not.  Helen moved to northern Michigan and had to take precautions concerning her health such as limiting the stress in her life. 

According to Special Report: Modern gas rush stirs controversy in Michigan officials at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, they reported that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality provides the regulation of oil and gas exploration and also generates fees on the industry. This report also included that increasing national demand for natural gas would increase more drilling in the Utica/Collingwood formation.  I reviewed the 2011triennial report prepared by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and there was only one section addressing the capping of abandoned gas and oil drilling sites.  I did not see in the report information about the managing and monitoring of the fracking process in Michigan.  The Air Toxics Chemical Release Inventory is usually self reported by citizens.  Only facilities that exceed activity thresholds for manufacturing, processing, or otherwise use of chemicals on the registry are required to report. There were no reports provided by oil and gas companies regarding their contributions to air or water pollution in Michigan so it is my understanding that their emissions of toxic waste into the water and air aren’t being monitored or at the very least not a part of this report. 

In conclusion, I was made aware of a process that is occurring in Michigan, North Dakota, Colorado, and extensively in Pennsylvania that is causing many warranted concerns from early deaths to earth quakes.  A dollar amount is placed on our freedom to breathe fresh air and drink water that is safe.  Penn State University reported that the drilling in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania where I understand Helen is from added $3.9 million to Pennsylvania’s coffers in 2009 and created 48,000 jobs.  According to Helen, many of the local people from her area had to quit these jobs because it went against their values. The corporate leaders from Canada are even more removed from taking any ownership for their actions. She made a point that needs our consideration that the company that caused the oil spill in the Gulf were permitted to earn a profit before they cleaned up the spill.  Michigan State University is warning Michigan citizens to be wary of leasing their land to the oil and gas conglomerates and suggest seeking advice from an oil and gas attorney before signing a lease. Leases of land are being actively sought in Michigan by oil and gas companies. What comes to mind with fracking and the mining of uranium in the area where the Navajo Indian people reside in, is let’s sacrifice a few people  for many people and last but certainly not least let’s earn a huge profit while doing so.   The people who are suffering from the aftereffects of fracking are not getting rich.  Helen reported that her checks averaged almost $5.00 for her royalties from the natural gas company who fracked near where she lived.