True. From everything I've seen and heard, my conclusion is this: fracking is like riding in a car. Sometimes it is perfectly safe...if you are with a competent driver. But if you get in with an idiot, watch out.
Some companies are responsible. Some companies are idiots. And all people are subject to human error. So if you are going to produce energy, you need 1) responsible companies, ones that demonstrate a real committment to safety and the environment; and 2) redundant systems to protect against both human error and mechanical breakdowns that could result in catastrophic failures.
Re: Who would have dreamed...
AskAsa
5/24/2012 10:16:38 PM
Empirical evidence or "everybody knows"
As far as I'm concerned health risks are far more serious than profits. Are the people there given accurate info about what they are being exposed to-or is it all drowned out by "everybody knows?"
A portion of the environmental movement has rendered itself useless by insisting on finding something wrong with everything. The public simply becomes numb.
"That's my point Isn't it nice to see them nervous?"
Yes.'
And here's the thing about the environmental concern: Oil is a dirty business, whevever it is. And you can't really legislate for people to stop using their cars. It causes environmental harm. Over time, it would be nice to move away from it, but that isn't happening as fast as we like. Eventually technology will allow us to do that. In the meantime, though, we are actually probably better stewards of the environment than places like Saudi Arabia or China, where they literally rape and pillage the environment for cheap energy with little oversight. The Persian Gulf is almost dead.
Somehow in N. America we have to find a balance between extracting energy at a reasonable cost and protecting the environment. Or we have to stop driving to the mall in a car. Those are really the only choices.
Of course OPEC is scrutinizing it it scares the heck out of them! This is the first time in 30 years that N. America has increased its share of the world oil market, and not only that but because of natural gas and NGLs we are now a net exporter of energy!
I have a friend who grew up in rural Wyoming where fracking is commonplace. She is pretty cynical about the oil companies. I asked her if there were a lot of health issues and she said, "Oh yeah, everybody knows it's bad, everybody knows it ruins the water, and a lot of people get cancer."
Of course this is just her opinion and you would have to look at data and evaluate the reality. I'm just saying this is the common perception in her particular oil-industry driven community (Dick Cheney country).
Re: Who would have dreamed...
AskAsa
5/24/2012 9:50:21 PM
Given the results it delivers why do you think fracing remains so controversial?
North America has really been an incubator for unconvenional exploration - starting with vertical well fracs in the early 1990s to horizontal fracs 10 years later and multi-stage fracs 10 years after that. OPEC -- and every other energy producer -- has learned a lot from what companies have done here.
Re: Who would have dreamed...
AskAsa
5/24/2012 8:52:47 PM
That's my point
Isn't it nice to see them nervous?
Re: Who would have dreamed...
driven
5/24/2012 8:48:20 PM
Screw OPEC.
Let's use our own oil.
Re: Who would have dreamed...
AskAsa
5/24/2012 8:46:50 PM
I heard a consultant say even OPEC is scrutinizing what is happening in North Dakota.
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