Residents of New York are currently embroiled in a bitter battle as lawmakers mull whether to permit hydraulic fracturing in the state.

Hydraulic fracturing represents a major breakthrough in oil and gas engineering, one that was developed decades ago but that has progressed rapidly over the past decade. Hydraulic fracturing, which is more commonly know as fracking, involves the use of millions of gallons of water mixed with chemicals to extract natural gas from shale deposits buried thousands of feet beneath the ground.

Fracking has helped fuel a rise in natural gas output in the U.S., and it has been so successful over the past five years that the U.S. is now the world's largest producer of the hydrocarbon. However, public health and environmental experts have expressed skepticism, arguing that fracking could potentially contaminate underground water sources and slow the progress of clean water initiatives.

In New York, the state has issued a moratorium on the granting of new fracking licenses while officials review the potential public health and environmental consequences. The state's Department of Conservation has received more than 30,000 comments from residents regarding its decision, and lawmakers have been fiercely divided over whether to allow fracking in the Marcellus shale, part of which lies underneath the Empire State.

The Queens Tribune reports that many residents opposed to fracking are concerned that it could potentially contaminate underground aquifers. What's more, others have contended the state's wastewater treatment facilities are not capable of processing the drilling mud additives and other chemicals used in the process.

Still, the state's environmental officials are slated to give their official verdict later this year, and backers are urging them to resume granting fracking permits.

 

Posted on April 10th, 2012 under Wastewater News, Water Regulations