RAPPORTS 2013
Estrogen and Androgen Receptor Activities of Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals and Surface and Ground Water in a Drilling-Dense Region
Endocrinology
16 Dec 2013
Christopher D. Kassotis, Donald E. Tillitt, J. Wade Davis, Annette M. Hormann, Susan C. Nagel.
This study collected, solid-phase extracted, and measured water samples in Colorado for estrogen and androgen receptor activities using reporter gene assays in human cell lines.
Peer Reviewed
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Electricity Generation Technologies: Overview, Comparability and Limitations
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Dec 2013
Turconi, Roberto, Alessio Boldrin, and Thomas Astrup
This study presents a review of 167 case studies involving the life cycle assessment (LCA) of electricity generation based on hard coal, lignite, natural gas, oil, nuclear, biomass, hydroelectric, solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind to identify ranges of emission data for GHG, NOx and SO2.
Peer Reviewed
Anthropogenic emissions of methane in the United States
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
25 Nov 2013
Scot M. Miller, Steven C. Wofsy, Anna M. Michalak, Eric A. Kort, Arlyn E. Andrews, Sebastien C. Biraud, Edward J. Dlugokencky, Janusz Eluszkiewicz, Marc L. Fischer, Greet Janssens-Maenhout, Ben R. Miller, John B. Miller, Stephen A. Montzka, Thomas Nehrkor
Successful regulation of greenhouse gas emissions requires knowledge of current methane emission sources. Existing state regulations in California and Massachusetts require ∼15% greenhouse gas emissions reductions from current levels by 2020. However, government estimates for total US methane emissions may be biased by 50%, and estimates of individual source sectors are even more uncertain. This study uses atmospheric methane observations to reduce this level of uncertainty. We find greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and fossil fuel extraction and processing (i.e., oil and/or natural gas) are likely a factor of two or greater than cited in existing studies. Effective national and state greenhouse gas reduction strategies may be difficult to develop without appropriate estimates of methane emissions from these source sectors.
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Time Series EROI for Canadian Oil and Gas
Energies
15 Nov 2013
Alexandre Poisson and Charles A. S. Hall *
Study presents a calculation of the energy return on investment (EROI) of Canadian unconventional and conventional oil and gas and find a 63% increase in energy investment in the O&G sector overall over the last two decades. This increase in energy invested has increased energy production just 18%. EROI for the sector and for tar sands alone are estimated at 11.1 and 4.1 respectively.
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Measurements of methane emissions at natural gas production sites in the United States
PNAS
29 OCT 2013
David T. Allen, Vincent M. Torres, James Thomas, David W. Sullivan, Matthew Harrison, Al Hendler, Scott C. Herndon, Charles E. Kolb, Matthew P. Fraser, A. Daniel Hill, Brian K. Lamb, Jennifer Miskimins, Robert F. Sawyer, and John H. Seinfeld
This work reports direct measurements of methane emissions at 190 onshore natural gas sites in the United States.
Peer Reviewed
The Importance of Public Health Agency Independence: Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling in Pennsylvania
American Journal of Public Health, 2013
20 Oct 2013
Bernard D. Goldstein, MD
This policy brief discusses the importance of public health agency independence and points to the lack of involvement of the Pennsylvania Department of Health in responding to health concerns about shale gas drilling.
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
The implications of unconventional drilling for natural gas: a global public health concern
Public Health
11 Oct 2013
Finkel, M.L. and J. Hays
This commentary explores the need for research to quantify the potential risks to the environment and to human health from unconventional natural gas development in both the short-term and long-term.
Peer Reviewed
Impacts of Shale Gas Wastewater Disposal on Water Quality in Western Pennsylvania
Environmental Science & Technology
02 Oct 2013
Warner NR, CA, Christie, RB Jackson, A Vengosh
This study examined the water quality and isotopic compositions of discharged effluents, surface waters, and stream sediments associated with a treatment facility site in western Pennsylvania.
Peer Reviewed
Histopathological Analysis of Fish from Acorn Fork Creek, Kentucky, Exposed to Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Releases
Southeastern Naturalist
28 Aug 2013
Diana M. Papoulias and Anthony L. Velasco
The objective of this study was to describe post-fracking water quality in Acorn Fork and evaluate if the changes in water quality could have extirpated Blackside Dace populations.
Peer Reviewed
Methane emissions estimate from airborne measurements over a western United States natural gas field
Geophysical Research Letters
27 Aug 2013
Anna Karion, Colm Sweeney, Gabrielle Pétron, Gregory Frost, R. Michael Hardesty, Jonathan Kofler, Ben R. Miller, Tim Newberger, Sonja Wolter, Robert Banta, Alan Brewer, Ed Dlugokencky, Patricia Lang, Stephen A. Montzka, Russell Schnell, Pieter Tans, Micha
This study used atmospheric measurements in a mass balance approach to estimate methane emissions from a natural gas and oil production field in Uintah County, Utah.
Peer Reviewed
Air pollutant emissions from the development, production and processing of Marcellus Shale natural gas
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association
06 Aug 2013
Anirban A. Roy, Peter J. Adams & Allen L. Robinson
This work describes an air emissions inventory for the development, production and processing of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region for 2009 and 2020.
Peer Reviewed
An Evaluation of Water Quality in Private Drinking Water Wells Near Natural Gas Extraction Sites in the Barnett Shale Formation
Environmental Science & Technology
25 Jul 2013
Brian E. Fontenot, Laura R. Hunt, Zacariah L. Hildenbrand, Doug D. Carlton Jr., Hyppolite Oka, Jayme L. Walton, Dan Hopkins, Alexandra Osorio, Bryan Bjorndal, Qinhong H. Hu, and Kevin A. Schug
This study evaluated samples from 100 private drinking water wells using historical baseline data and found that arsenic, selenium, strontium and total dissolved solids (TDS) exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water Maximum Contaminant Limit (MCL) in some samples located within 3 km of active natural gas wells.
Peer Reviewed
Enhanced Remote Earthquake Triggering at Fluid-Injection Sites in the Midwestern United States
Science
12 July 2013
van der Elst NJ, HM Savage KM Keranen, GA Abers
This study demonstrates the link between large remote seismic waves and the increased susceptibility of earthquakes triggered localy around injection areas.
Peer Reviewed
Injection-Induced Earthquakes
Science
12 July 2013
Ellsworth, WL
This paper reviews recent seismic activity potentially associated with oil and gas activity and particularly, assesses the scientific understanding of induced earthquakes, and discusses the key scientific challenges in assessing this hazard."
Peer Reviewed
Groundwater protection and unconventional gas extraction: the critical need for field-based hydrogeological research.
Groundwater
Jun 2013
Jackson, R. E., Gorody, A. W., Mayer, B., Roy, J. W., Ryan, M. C., & Van Stempvoort, D. R.
Article provides a review of case studies which illustrate how stray or fugitive gas from deep gas-rich formations has migrated from the subsurface into shallow aquifers and how it has affected groundwater quality and summarizes studies describing how structural features influence the role of natural and induced fractures as contaminant fluid migration pathways.
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Increased stray gas abundance in a subset of drinking water wells near Marcellus shale gas extraction
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
03 Jun 2013
Robert B. Jackson, Avner Vengosh, Thomas H. Darrah, Nathaniel R. Warner, Adrian Down, Robert J. Poreda, Stephen G. Osborn, Kaiguang Zhao and Jonathan D. Karr
This study analyzed 141 drinking water wells in northeastern Pennsylvania, examining natural gas concentrations and isotopic signatures with proximity to shale gas wells. Data suggest that some homeowners living < 1 from gas wells have drinking water contaminated with stray gases.
Peer Reviewed
Quantifying sources of methane using light alkanes in the Los Angeles basin, California
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: ATMOSPHERES
28 May 2013
J Peischl, TB Ryerson, J Brioude, KC Aikin, AE Andrews, E Atlas, D Blake, BC Daube, JA de Gouw, E Dlugokencky, GJ Frost, DR Gentner, JB Gilman, AH Goldstein, RA Harley, JS Holloway, J Kofler, WC Kuster, PM Lang, PC Novelli, GW Santoni, M Trainer, SC Wofsy
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Modern Natural Gas Development and Harm to Health: The Need for Proactive Public Health Policies
ISRN Public Health
17 May 2013
Madelon L. Finkel PhD, Jake Hays MA, and Adam Law MD
Commentary discusses the downside of modern, unconventional natural gas development and its potential for harm.
Peer Reviewed
The Shale Gas Boom and the Need for Rational Policy
American Journal of Public Health
16 May 2013
Madelon Finkel PhD, Jake Hays MA, and Adam Law MD
A commentary calling for precautionary policy measures in the absence of methodologically sound data on potential harms to the environment and human health from shale gas development.
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Geochemical and isotopic variations in shallow groundwater in areas of the Fayetteville Shale development, north-central Arkansas
Applied Geochemistry
14 May 2013
Nathaniel R. Warner, Timothy M. Kresse, Phillip D. Hays, Adrian Down, Jonathan D. Karr, Robert B. Jackson, Avner Vengosh
This study investigates the possible degradation of water quality in shallow aquifers overlying producing shale formations in north-central Arkansas.
Open Access
Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania
Groundwater
April 2013
Molofsky, L. J., Connor, J. A., Wylie, A. S., Wagner, T., & Farhat, S. K.
Peer Reviewed
Generation, transport, and disposal of wastewater associated with Marcellus Shale gas development
Water Resources Research
Apr 2013
Brian D. Lutz, Aurana N. Lewis and Martin W. Doyle
Study quantifies gas and wastewater production from 2189 wells throughout Pennsylvania and finds that, though reported wastewater volumes per unit of gas produced is low relative to conventional gas development, the cumulative volume of wastewater generated has increase more than 500%, overwhelming current wastewater treatment capacity.
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Potentially induced earthquakes in Oklahoma, USA: Links between wastewater injection and the 2011 Mw 5.7 earthquake sequence
Geology
26 Mar 2013
Keranen KM, Savage HM, Abers GA, Cochran ES
Significant earthquakes are increasingly occurring within the continental interior of the United States, including five of moment magnitude (Mw) 5.0 in 2011 alone. Concurrently, the volume of fluid injected into the subsurface related to the production of unconventional resources continues to rise. Here we identify the largest earthquake potentially related to injection, an Mw 5.7 earthquake in November 2011 in Oklahoma.
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Life Cycle Water Use for Electricity Generation: A Review and Harmonization of Literature Estimates
Environmental Research Letters
Mar 2013
Meldrum, J., S. Nettles-Anderson, G. Heath, and J. Macknick
This article provides consolidated estimates of water withdrawal and water consumption for the full life cycle of electricity generated with fossil fuel, nuclear, and wind, solar, and geothermal technologies.
Open Access
Shale gas development impacts on surface water quality in Pennsylvania
PNAS
Mar 2013
Olmstead, S. M., Muehlenbachs, L. A., Shih, J.-S., Chu, Z., & Krupnick, A. J.
This paper conducts a large-scale examination of the extent to which Marcellus shale gas development activities affect surface water quality in Pennsylvania.
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Marcellus Shale Drilling's Impact on the Dairy Industry in Pennsylvania: A Descriptive Report
New Solutions
February 2013
Madelon L. Finkel, Jane Selegean, Jake Hays, Nitin Kondamudi
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Estimation of regional air-quality damages from Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction in Pennsylvania
Environmental Research Letters
31 January 2013
Aviva Litovitz, Aimee Curtright, Shmuel Abramzon, Nicholas Burger and Constantine Samaras
This study gives an estimate of the conventional air pollutant emissions (VOC, NOx PM2.5, PM10 and SOx) from shale gas development in Pennsylvania and the monetary value of the associated environmental and health damages. Region-wide damages were estimated between $7.2 to $32 million dollars for 2011. While emissions and damage estimates are relatively small compared to other major sources of air pollution in the state overall, they are a concern in regions of significant extraction activities, which tend to be concentrated in a few counties. In counties with concentrated activity NOx emissions from the shale gas industry were 20-40 times higher than allowable for a single minor source. The authors also note that the industry and regulatory agencies need to account for air emissions from ongoing, long-term activities and not only those associated with development since more than 80% of damages occur in the years after the well is developed. For instance, compressor station activities alone account for 60-75% of all extraction-associated damages. It is important to consider county-level damage given site-specific variability such as the concentration of shale gas activities, population, and areas where air quality is already a concern. The authors conclude that shale gas extraction will be associated with non-trivial air pollution emissions and that more detailed analyses (e.g. regional data acquisition and consideration of site-specific variability.
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
Hydraulic Fracturing and Brook Trout Habitat in the Marcellus Shale Region: Potential Impacts and Research Needs
Fisheries
22 Jan 2013
Weltman-Fahs M & JM Taylor
The expansion of hydraulic fracturing poses multiple threats to surface waters, which can be tied to key ecological attributes that limit brook trout populations. Here, we expand current conceptual models to identify three potential pathways of risk between surface water threats associated with increased natural gas development and life history attributes of brook trout: hydrological, physical, and chemical.
Peer Reviewed
Analysis of BTEX groundwater concentration from surface spills associated with hydraulic fracturing operations
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association
14 Jan 2013
Gross SA, Avens HJ , Banducci AM, Sahmel J, Panko JM, Tvermoes BE
Concerns have arisen among the public regarding the potential for drinking water contamination from the migration of methane gas and hazardous chemicals associated with hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. However, little attention has been paid to the potential for groundwater contamination resulting from surface spills from storage and production facilities at active well sites
Open Access
Peer Reviewed
The Effects of Shale Gas Exploration and Hydraulic Fracturing on the Quality of Water Resources in the United States
Procedia Earth and Planetary Science
01 Jan 2013
Avner Vengosh, Nathaniel Warner, Rob Jackson, Tom Darrah
This paper provides key observations for the potential risks of shale gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing on the quality of water resources.
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