Last week I spoke with Matt Kelso of the Fractracker Alliance. They monitor fracking wells across the U.S. and educate the public on their health effects. Kelso is the data manager for the alliance.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with hydraulic fracturing or fracking, the video above provides an overview. Basically, the process involves drilling wells deep in to shale rock. The well is then pumped with brine and chemicals to fracture the shale rock. The natural gas and oil then bubbles up into the well like soda.
In the map above, we see where unconventional fracking wells are concentrated in Pennsylvania. This is primarily in the southwestern and northeastern part of the U.S. Many of these wells are located in some of the poorest parts of the state. People are paid a lot of money to put these wells on their property. Many of these people are not in an economic position to say no to the drillers.
Effects of Fracking
In the graph above, the concentration of citations of gas wells in Pennsylvania is shown. The health and environmental effects of fracking are enumerated in the film Gasland. These result from contaminating the ground water and from polluting the air. The air issues result from some of the gasses leaking out from the ground. Not all of the natural gas is collected by the well.
The map above shows drinking water violations by county in Pennsylvania from County Health Rankings. Not all of the violations may be due to fracking wells but the contamination of groundwater can have far reaching effects. Individuals with wells for drinking water are vulnerable to contamination.
The map final map above shows air pollution levels in Pennsylvania. Darker colored counties have higher levels of pollution. As above, fracking may not be the sole reason for these issues.
Matt Kelso of the Fractracker Alliance discusses these issues in the interview at the top of the post. The final issue is what to do with the wastewater from the chemicals used in this process. Like nuclear waste, no one wants it in their backyard.