Drilling & Fracturing
Debunking Gasland
Is everything featured in the recent movie "Gasland" accurate?
No. In fact, the movie "Gasland" promotes ideas about natural gas drilling that have been found to be false, inaccurate and misleading.
"Gasland" Claim: Natural gas extraction is exempt from federal regulations.
Fact: The process is subject to a host of federal, state and local regulations that cover everything from initial permits to well construction to water disposal.
"Gasland" Claim: Natural gas drilling caused flaming tap water.
Fact: Colorado regulatory authorities investigated the claim long before Gasland was made and issued a statement that they fully investigated the claim. Their investigation found that the methane in the water well had nothing to do with natural gas drilling and was naturally occurring.
"Gasland" Claim: A 35 mile fish kill in Dunkard Creek in Washington County, PA was caused by natural gas drilling.
Fact: The Environmental Protection Agency investigated this incident and tied the fish kills to coal mine runoff.
"Gasland" Claim: The makeup of fracturing fluids is unknown.
Fact: The chemical additives have always been included on the material safety data sheets at drilling locations. Drilling companies also voluntarily post the additives at fracfocus.org. A recently passed bill in Texas, HB3328, requires the posting on a well-by-well basis on the same site.
Additional Articles of Interest:
America's Natural Gas Alliance seeks to set the record straight.
Energy in Depth presents the untold story of the movie.