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Hydraulic Fracturing and Shale Gas: Environmental and Health Impacts

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Advances in Water Resources Management

Part of the book series: Handbook of Environmental Engineering ((HEE,volume 16))

Abstract

Shale gas development means the nation’s energy independence and economic benefits in terms of employment, manufacturing, services, tax revenues, local economies as well as lease and royalty payments to state and local governments and land owners. However, there are great concerns about its potential impacts and risks on environment, human health, and ecosystems as evidenced by numerous reported incidents and litigation. Among the major issues are: use of fracturing fluids that contain carcinogens and toxins; migration of hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and radioactive substances from shale and nearby formations that causes groundwater and surface water contamination; substantial consumption of water for fracturing; air emissions; sedimentation; earthquakes; explosion; and human health effects. These issues are discussed in this chapter.

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Abbreviations

Bcf:

Billion cubic feet

CAA:

Clean Air Act

CERCLA:

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund)

CWA:

Clean Water Act

EIA:

Energy Information Administration

ELG:

Effluent Limit Guide

EMC:

(Turbidity) Event Mean Concentration

EPACT:

Energy Policy Act

GAO:

General Accounting Office

GHG:

Greenhouse gas

GWPC:

Ground Water Protection Council

HAP:

Hazardous air pollutants

IOGCC:

Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission

MMcf:

Million cubic feet

NETL:

(DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory

NPDES:

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

NSPS:

New Source Performance Standards

NTU:

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit

NYDEC:

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

OGAP:

Oil and Gas Accountability Project

PADEP:

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

PAEQB:

Pennsylvania Energy Quality Board

POTW:

Publicly Owned Treatment Works

RCRA:

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Scf:

Standard cubic feet

Scfd:

Standard cubic feet per day

SPE:

Society of Petroleum Engineers

STRONGER:

State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations

SWDA:

Safe Water Drinking Act

Tcf:

Trillion cubic feet

TDS:

Total dissolved solids

tpd:

Tons per day

TSS:

Total suspended solids

USDOE:

US Department of Energy

USEPA:

US Environmental Protection Agency

USGS:

US Geological Survey

VOC:

Volatile organic compounds

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wenko Systems Analysis, 230 Beverly Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15216, USA

    Hsue-Peng Loh M.L.S., Ph.D. & Nancy Loh M.A.

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  1. Hsue-Peng Loh M.L.S., Ph.D.
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  2. Nancy Loh M.A.
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Correspondence to Hsue-Peng Loh M.L.S., Ph.D. or Nancy Loh M.A. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lenox Institute of Technology, Newtonville, New York, USA

    Lawrence K. Wang

  2. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

    Chih Ted Yang

  3. Lenox Institute of Technology, Newtonville, New York, USA

    Mu-Hao S. Wang

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Loh, HP., Loh, N. (2016). Hydraulic Fracturing and Shale Gas: Environmental and Health Impacts. In: Wang, L., Yang, C., Wang, MH. (eds) Advances in Water Resources Management. Handbook of Environmental Engineering, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22924-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22924-9_4

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