YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The Marcellus Shale Coalition, Canonsburg, Pa., is hailing a new study commissioned and funded by the University of Texas at Austin's Energy Institute that fauls media coverage of hydraulic fracturing as part of its overall finding that hydraulic fracturing “has no direct connection to reports of groundwater contamination.”
“Entirely too often, the debate surrounding the responsible development of shale gas is clouded by rhetoric that is unsupported by the facts, proven data and substantiated science. This new study, however, aims to objectively separate fact from fiction, and does so effectively,” said Kathryn Z. Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition.
“Not surprisingly, though disappointingly, the study also captures the negative and one-sided nature of the media coverage surrounding shale gas development,” Klaber added.
In a summary of its findings, the Energy Institute said, “Media coverage of hydraulic fracturing is decidedly negative, and few news reports mention scientific research related to the practice.”
Researchers concluded that many reports of contamination can be traced to above-ground spills or other mishandling of wastewater produced from shale gas drilling, rather than from hydraulic fracturing per se, said Charles Groat, an Energy Institute associate director who led the project.
The research team examined evidence contained in reports of groundwater contamination attributed to fracking in three shale plays – the Marcellus in Pennsylvania, New York and portions of Appalachia, and Barnett and Haynesville shale plays in Texas.
The report identified regulations related to shale gas development and evaluated individual states’ capacity to enforce existing regulations. In addition, researchers analyzed public perceptions of hydraulic fracturing, as derived from popular media, scientific literature and online surveys.
Groat said researchers would supplement the study with an examination of reports relating to atmospheric emissions and seismic activity attributed to hydraulic fracturing, such as the 11 earthquakes that last year rattled the Mahoning Valley.
Other findings from the Energy Institute study include:
Published by The Business Journal, Youngtown, Ohio.