DEC Defends Hydrofracking, but Opponents Worry About Impacts on Finger Lakes Wine Industry

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor with Tom Mansell, Science Editor

There is energy under our feet, and companies want to access it. The Marcellus Shale formation is about a mile deep, consisting of a rock-bound reservoir that runs through New York and Pennsylvania, among other states. According to experts, it's a natural gas basin that could provide 400 trillion gallons of natural gas.

For sake of comparison, that's nearly 20 times the current national output.

Crews can access the gas by drilling down -- and then horizontally, hundreds of feet below the surface. The shale contains tiny pores where the gas is trapped and practically inaccessible by conventional means.  A high-volume mixture of water, sand, and chemicals is pumped into the well, breaking up the rock and releasing the natural gas. The gas then is carried up the well line to the surface.

But it's the water mixture that makes people nervous. About 40 percent of that mixture returns to the surface and has to be treated. The rest remains below the surface, and opponents fear it will make its way up to the groundwater.

We've posted a graphic that illustrates the process (click it to enlarge). The graphic is from Al Granberg, courtesy of ProPublica under Creative Commons.

Finger Lakes Wine Industry Concerns
Opponents of hydrofracking in the Finger Lakes have two separate, very different concerns. The first centers on the surface wells, which some fear will create aesthetic pollution, harming tourism.

Sheldrake Point Vineyard Managing Partner Chuck Tauck recently sent a letter to his colleagues in the industry, warning of potential disaster. Tauck writes, "The impact on the tourism and the wine industry will be substantial, as our scenic rural and farm lands give way to industrial 200' drilling rigs,  five-acre well pads and hazardous waste holding ponds spaced as closely as one for every forty acres!"

The final plans for surface well locations have not been released, but supporters of hydrofracking argue the wells are a small price to pay for significant gains for the economy and energy.

The second concern focuses on the potential for polluted groundwater. Companies use a mixture of water, sand, a blend of chemicals to free natural gas from the shale deep below the surface. The chemicals added act mostly to regulate  the viscosity and consistency of the fluid. 

These companies argue that the blend is proprietary, and thus they should not have to make the details public. But if there is contamination -- to groundwater or to a worker involved in an accident -- opponents say there's no way to know how to best handle it. A recent draft of the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) contains a proposal requiring all new permitted wells to disclose the composition of their fracking fluid.

For the wine industry, this is about more than drinking water. It's no secret that large amounts of water are needed to produce wine, and polluted groundwater could harm entire vineyards. Opponents envision a ruptured well infecting groundwater and wiping out entire vintages. Environmental regulators contend that while mistakes are impossible to eliminate entirely, the safety record thus far has been extremely sound, with very low percentages of disruptions.  The graphic below, adapted from Cornell Geology Professor Rick Allmendinger's website, shows the depth of the shale, its general economic potential, and the locations of wineries on the Finger Lakes.
 
"I understand the concerns - I do," an energy company executive, who asked not to be identified by name, told me. "But here's what happens: If one well has a problem, the media goes nuts with it. One family's well gets polluted water, and suddenly that becomes the only image that people attach to this process. And frankly that's not fair at all. We'd be out of business if this was a regular occurrence. It's in our best interest to do this as safely as possible, and when you compare this to just about anything else, it's extremely safe."

Opponents like Tauck contend that a relatively strong safety record could still include problems, and one is enough to do catastrophic damage. Tauck writes, "Unlike conventional drilling, drilling into the Marcellus Shale requires millions of gallons of water and chemicals, the disposal and regulation of which has been poorly addressed in the new document [the SGEIS], and has the potential to become a significant environmental disaster for the Finger Lakes, both with contamination of surface waters and contamination of aquifers and wells." 

At present, hydrofracking is exempt from Clean Water Act regulation since the fracturing occurs far below the level of groundwater.

The New York state DEC responds that regulators are comfortable that the hydrofracking process is safe and a very low risk to pollute groundwater. The fracturing happens hundreds of feet into the earth and the wells are created with thick liners. Energy companies point to a track record that includes a lower proportion of accidents than other energy exploration, including coal and oil.

Fewer Regulators to Handle Permits, Problems
New York state recently considered adding 30 workers to the DEC -- a move that would have helped handle the long list of permit requests. More importantly, say skeptics, it would have provided a broader capacity to monitor problems with hydrofracking. But the state's budget crisis forced lawmakers to scrap those plans.

Pennsylvania recently added 40 environmental inspectors to help monitor hydrofracking, a move that has added at least some peace of mind for residents. Other states also feature stricter permitting. But as with other concerns, New York's DEC downplays concerns about handling this issue. A recent DEC email addressed the heavy interest in Marcellus Shale energy: "There have not been and will be no shortcuts in permitting -- every well application will get all due scrutiny and oversight." 

Even so, a study by the Cornell University Law School found that the DEC is currently not equipped to handle all the new regulations and oversight that the current draft of the SGEIS calls for.

Even those struggling to make up their minds on this issue seem to agree that more information would be helpful. But the DEC has taken the position that the expansion of hydrofracking plans is not moving too quickly, noting that one out of ten wells in New York state are already being hydrofracked and there have been no adverse environmental impacts. Winemakers across the Finger Lakes want to know what's in the chemical mixtures, what the immediate steps are to handle an emergency, and how long the surface wells will be around.

Galileo famously said that wine is sunlight, held together by water. In reality it's largely water, and it's vital that the water remain clean, hydrofracking or not.

---

Further reading:

DEC's Marcellus Shale Page

Cornell Geology Professor Rick Allmendinger's website

Cornell Law Study of the draft SGEIS

Comments

[John Sperr -- Rhinebeck NY]

People have until December 31, 2009 to submit comments.

The NYC DEP, keeper of the reservoirs and infrastructure that supplies all of the water to New York City, is against drilling and hydrofracing within its watershed.

There are people within DEC in other departments who are against hydrofracing, but the Division of Mineral Resources has control of the issue and seems to be in favor of it, regardless of their inability to properly permit and monitor the drillers.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/46288.html

[R. Olsen-Harbich]

Interesting post - well done.

My only experience with natural gas and grapevines was not a good one. There was a new vineyard planted on a main road. On a number of rows, the first couple of vine panels near the street always looked necrotic and yellow. The vines eventually died after a couple years and were replaced by new vines that also died a year later. They finally found that there was a very small gas leak underneath the vineyard floor where the street line ran. Its maybe not such a great analogy but it does appear that grapevines are extremely sensitive to natural gas. I certainly would not be in favor of this type of project anywhere near a vineyard.

[Rick Rainey]

The data I have seen regarding the economic benefits for Upstate versus the cost/risk analysis is pretty easy to understand - DON'T DO IT!

Seriously, the economic windfall would amount to a hill of beans and will do nothing positive for a vast majority of the residents in the effected regions.

Imagine what it will do for already low property values.

[LoveCanal2020]

These gas wells emit methane and ozone as a byproduct of their operation. Ozone can have adverse effects on trees; it might be a problem for any vineyards that were located downwind of one of these gas well sites. In NY state, no localities have any rights regarding the placements of these wells; if someone has a lease and there is a vineyard down the road, there is not a thing that the vineyard owner can do to stop the drilling.

Comments on the DEC SGEIS report will only be accepted until Dec. 31st, so please write or email them with your concerns. There is also a petition available that seeks to withdraw the DEC report and make them address these issues more fully. The petition is available at toxicstargeting dot com under Marcellus Shale Letter. Please sign it, if you want to send a message to Albany that you care about this issue.

[Alison Fromme]

Nice summary of the issues. I posted a link from my blog: www.ithacasfoodweb.com

[1WineDude]

Awesome overview of this process. It's kind of frightening to hear that the DEC isn't currently capable of handling the oversight burden.

[Evan Dawson]

Dude -

Figured we might get a Pennsylvanian -- but how often do you hear about this issue down your way? I think there are extremes on both sides (those that say this will burn the world down, and those who think no one is entitled to even question industry), but I think in the middle is a very fair goal: People just want more information. Right now that seems to be lacking up here, but PA seems to have its collective bowels together on this.

[Paul]

I live in Northeast Pa (Scranton Area)and my wife and I have been regulars to the Finger Lakes Wineries for close to 15 years. We love the area. I have a very stressful job and spending 2 or 3 long weekends a year in this region always relaxes and re-energizes me.
Much of the rural land in my surrounding area is either already being mined for gas or is in the process of receiving bids for drilling. Most of the areas where this is occurring are privately owned farmlands that are no longer profitable to farm in light of leasing and extraction percentage paybacks. Your area is unique in that there is a steadily growing, popular, recession "resistant" (but not proof) industry that will be threatened by both the changes to the picturesque scenery and possible contamination from the defracking process. In fact, there is currently a section of Susquehanna County whose residents have polluted wells from an "accident" at a drilling site. I hope you all unite to keep the Wine Region as pristine as it is now. If I can be of any small assistance in this (through local public service communications, social site saturation, etc.) please let me know.

[Evan Dawson]

Paul -

Very interesting take, contrasting the stagnant parts of PA where drilling is occurring with the growing region of the Finger Lakes. We'll do our best to stay up-to-date on this issue, and don't be surprised if your volunteer of assistance finds a response from someone reading this board.

Cheers and thanks.

[refurbished computers]

I think those struggling to make up their minds on this issue seem to agree that more information would be helpful.

[Jeanne Wiltberger, Keuka Spring Vineyards]

Thanks guys for bringing attention to this in wine circles.