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5 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Fracking

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Submitted by Martin Tillier of OilPrice.com,

I would hazard a guess that most people in the developed world are now aware of what hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is. For those who aren’t, it is a technique used to extract oil and gas from previously inaccessible underground shale (rock) formations.

Fracking has had profound effects on the energy industry, so far mostly in the U.S., where it has created oil and gas booms in non-traditional places, moved the country closer to energy independence, and resulted in a huge reduction in the cost of energy, particularly natural gas.

It is, however, not without controversy. Environmental groups worry that we don’t know the possible effects of chemicals used in the process, and that contamination of the water supply could cause major environmental problems at some point in the future. Breaking up subterranean rock formations just sounds like a harmful thing to do and many believe that earthquakes have been or will be caused.

I have no interest in taking sides in the debate, but any debate benefits from knowledge, so here are 5 things that you may not know about fracking.

It isn’t new.

Hydraulic fracturing has risen to prominence over the last five or six years, but the technique itself has been around a lot longer. The first hydraulic fracturing experiment was conducted in Kansas in 1947. It was not successful, but a patent on the process was granted in 1949 and the licensed user of the technique, Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Company, began commercial operations later that year. Since then about 90 percent of U.S. wells have been fracked.

It mainly uses sand and water.

Environmental concerns about fracking center on the possibility of contamination by chemicals used in the process. This leads many people to believe that it is just a chemical cocktail that is being pumped into the ground. In fact, over 99 percent of what is pumped typically consists of sand and water. That doesn’t mean that contamination and environmental damage isn’t possible, but it may not be what you envisage.

It makes your ice cream more expensive.

One component of the small percentage of fracking fluid that is not sand or water is guar gum. This natural product of the seeds of the guar plant is also used to improve the texture of ice cream. A chart of guar gum prices since 2000 looks like this:

Guar gum prices

Ice cream and other foods that utilize the product have seen significant increases in cost. For those of us with a sweet tooth, this alone may be reason enough to be wary of any more rapid expansion of fracking.

The biggest environmental threat could be from the amount of water used, not chemical contamination.

If the benign nature of guar gum and the small percentage of chemicals used in fracking fluid has you believing that the environmental concerns have been massively exaggerated, think again. Fracking just one well uses somewhere in the region of 3 to 8 million gallons of water. Using 2011 data, this article by Jesse Jenkins calculates that to mean that the amount of freshwater consumed by all the shale wells in the U.S. was about 0.3 percent of total U.S. freshwater consumption. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but in a world where water scarcity is becoming more of an issue it has to be considered as fracking use spreads.

It has uses beyond oil and gas.

Hydraulic fracturing of rock formations is not just used to extract oil and gas. It is also used to stimulate production from water wells, to enhance geothermal production of electricity and, most surprisingly of all, used by the EPA to clean up superfund sites.

Proponents and opponents of fracking will no doubt cherry pick from these lesser-known facts about the process to support their arguments. As I said, I have no interest in taking sides here. My only hope is that everybody who reads this will learn something that they didn’t know before. The debate will continue to rage, but the more informed that debate is, the better for all of us.

 

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Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:11 | 4875709 world_debt_slave
world_debt_slave's picture

Let's see, injecting huge amounts of water and hazardous chemicals into the earth can't hurt anything.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:22 | 4875750 DaddyO
DaddyO's picture

It's a two edged sword, my cousin has made a tidy sum selling the leases on his farms to the oil wildcatters.

As have most of the farmers in his vicinity. They may need the money to put RO systems on their drinking wells.

The municipalities have been selling contaminated water for decades, spill off from the steel and coke industries was that last big contaminent sold as jobs and wealth.

Time will tell...

DaddyO

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:26 | 4875770 LetThemEatRand
LetThemEatRand's picture

The good news in all of this is that the fracking fluid will clean the water from the steel and coke industries that also promised it was good for jobs and wouldn't harm the environment.  And a few people made a few bucks.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:31 | 4875796 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

"I'm already pouring it on my garden.  Fantastic!" -- Ann Coulter

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:44 | 4875862 Stackers
Stackers's picture

Mission Accompolished !

 

I did not know about the Guar Gum spike.

Now, do I want to know why my ice cream maker is putting drilling well lubricant in my ice cream ? Probably not.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:03 | 4875961 CrazyCooter
CrazyCooter's picture

The funny thing about fracking is that it has been around so long but only really took off when the free money spiggot opened wide up.

Is it a malinvestment? We will find out when rates finally go up and/or these bugs that are gorging on debt just to maintain production levels finally find a windshield.

But only after TPTB shit all over coal, drive it into BK, and then pick it up for cheap (without the legacy liabilities). Then, fracking will go tits up, nat gas will go to the moon, and all those shiny new gas electric plants and factories will panic back into coal.

Regards,

Cooter

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:22 | 4876034 Xibalba
Xibalba's picture

FUCK those pieces of shit ppl who are in favor of fracking.  'Make a buck at the expense of your kids and grandkids' motherfuckers. Hope you greedy, fat, stupid asshats get assraped in the next life.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:32 | 4876049 Gaius Frakkin' ...
Gaius Frakkin' Baltar's picture

Earthquakes are a daily occurrence in central Oklahoma now.

It's difficult to scientifically verify that fracking causes earthquakes but a little common sense should be used... what do you expect when you bust up subterranean geology.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:35 | 4876087 Xibalba
Xibalba's picture

If I make Swiss cheese out of the foundation of your house, can you prove that I caused it's collapse? 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:44 | 4876111 Gaius Frakkin' ...
Gaius Frakkin' Baltar's picture

I'm sure your lawyer would argue it was gravity... of course none of these fracking companies will ever be held liable because property rights are a thing of the past.

Another expense for the people of Oklahoma to add to their inflation-o-meter. Earthquake insurance...

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:00 | 4876179 666
666's picture

Now I know why the level of the Great Lakes is declining rapidly.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 22:57 | 4876652 MontgomeryScott
MontgomeryScott's picture

I used to be polite when I wanted to say the word 'fucking' (the derogatory version, like rape of a woman, or ass-rape of a man, for purely selfish egotistical pleasure on the part of the dominant for the whole goal of domination; and the infliction of physical pain and emotional distress on the one who is subjected to it). I would substitute 'frigging'. This was many years ago.

NOW, I use the word 'FRACKING'.

HELL, let the multinational oil companies take EVERY LAST DROP of potable water on the Earth, and combine it with all kinds of toxic shit, and inject it under extreme pressure deep in to the bowels of the Earth's crust, in order to extract that 'shale oil'; all in the name of (insert your fascist nation's name HERE).

HERE, you pro-corporate frackers, is a website that describes what you are doing to the very Earth that you live on:

http://fracfocus.org/chemical-use/what-chemicals-are-used

I hear that one of the Carolinas is trying to make disclosure of the chemicals used a 'FELONY OFFENCE'. Yeah. TRUTH.

The GREAT LAKES water level might be influenced by this activity, but it has MORE to do with the fact that NESTLE is sucking it up and bottling it, and other companies are taking it out and shipping it to fracking CHINA because they DO NOT HAVE ANY WATER that is fit to drink any more. It's IRONIC that all this FRACKING is due to the greed and avarice of the multinational oil companies that want to sell the FRACKED OIL and GAS to CHINA, so they can keep on polluting their lands while supplying the WORLD with cheap, breakable, and deleterious CRAP that will need to be remade, hours or days from now to REPLACE thsat crap they sold you last month, year, or WEEK.

(Naturally, of course, it all has to do with WHO or WHAT ENTITY is willing to FINANCE all this 'industrial activity'. After all, 'just-in-time' economic strategies can't account for breakdowns, shipping, demand for higher wages, and disrupted supply lines [due to the fact that all the people around certain areas are getting sicker with cancers and other maladies, and can't work full shifts any more, because they are seeing doctors who report their metadata to the governments and treat symptoms with drugs that kill the patients and stuff like that. DON'T EVEN get me started on the 'Big Pharma' kick, here!)

DAMN.

DAMN, SKIPPY!

REALITY: WHAT a CONCEPT!

A MESSAGE, TO THE FRACKERS OUT THERE:

There were sections of the Great Lakes that still had floating ICE on them, as reported (with photographic evidence that substantiates this claim) until about a WEEK ago (it's JUNE, by the way). Perhaps all you FRACKERS might consider paying a little more 'carbon tax', to help keep the Lakes PRISTINE for your corporate handlers and masters. Those stratospheric geoengineering Evergreen International converted spray-planes need LOTS of avgas in order to continue operations, and I'm SURE you won't mind the 'carbon emissions' mitigation taxes (so that you can deliver your Great Lakes GOODS to your masters while STILL FROZEN, PERHAPS in a year or two). I hear that the Canadians have bowed to the pressure, and are building fracking pipelines direct to the fracking Pacific Coast, bypassing the 'NAFTA SUPERHIGHWAY' thing that was SUPPOSED to allow REFINING in fracking TEXAS, before the FRACKING OIL was to be piped to mid-fracking Mexico (in transit to your lapdog masters, the fracking Rothschild-run Chinese, and their 'central bank' overlords in the form of 'profits').

Don't mind ME, though. I'll just turn on the faucet, and take a Bic lighter, and see if the water catches fire. If it DOESN'T, I'll know that at least I'M safe. FRACK YOU, though, because the only thing that counts is...(in 5,4,3,2,1,..)

BOY, I bet I get some 'downarrows' on THIS post!

Que sera, sera.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:08 | 4876688 SafelyGraze
SafelyGraze's picture

-100 for the Ann Coulter reference

sheesh

have you ever done something that you really really regretted the next day

you ask yourself, 'what was I thinking'

but you know you didn't dream it

because now somebody's all 'I'm starving! do you have any eggs in this shitbox of a fridge, or what?'

 

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 04:11 | 4877169 thisisjustarand...
thisisjustarandomusernameicreatedforzerohedge's picture

between the two biggest new sources of energy, American fracking and Canadian oilsands, using exponentially more water

and China forecasted to need to import more water than the US imported oil....

 

water, not oil, will be the future vital commodity

petrodollar?

can you say waterdollar?

invest in Canadian companies that own water rights to land 'downstream' from melting glaciers or prime to take advantage of the eventual full free mark capitalizing of rivers

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 11:12 | 4877970 SilverTech
SilverTech's picture

From the USGS:

In 1961, a 12,000-foot well was drilled at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, northeast of Denver, for disposing of waste fluids from Arsenal operations. Injection was commenced March 1962, and an unusual series of earthquakes erupted in the area shortly after.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/colorado/history.php

So, injecting stuff into wells has been known to cause earthquakes for 50 years.

Check this out (old news) of a huge (4 miles long) eruption near fracking sites in CO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Omha8C4WY

 

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 09:55 | 4877652 Weisshaupt
Weisshaupt's picture

Its called a trade-off - as is all human activity.  I suspect you still eat food from grocery stores? How did the food get there?  How did it get from there to your house?  Are you ready to give that up because you are sure Fracking will be so harmful to your children?  Less energy production means having less - of everything... even to the point where rising energy prices can and will deprive you, your kids and your grandchildren of food- right now. Not in 50 years. Still patting yourself on the back for feeling so self-righteous and so morally superior?  

Are you ready to give up grocery stores? Your iPhone? Your car?  Electricity? Your Job? Indoor plumbing?  Modern Medical care ?   All made possible by energy intensive  processes.  The entire world economy is dependent upon  energy production. As prices rise, your standard of living will fall.  You denounce the greedy producers,  but I suspect  you like what is, in  fact, produced.  Unless of course you are one of those anti-human barely evolved  ape throwbacks who really wants to return to a hunter-gatherer world where everyone dies at 30 after nasty, brutal  and short life.  

If not, grow up, and understand that in real life adults have to consider that  there are trade-offs for everything and every action..  Fracking may or may not be an acceptable trade-off- but since your "evidence" consists of childish  name calling, I don't find your argument compelling. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 22:05 | 4876462 Zeta Reticuli
Zeta Reticuli's picture

Actually, it's a natural ingredient used for thickening. It's used in cheap ice cream instead of using cream. Get Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. Ingredients: cream, milk, sugar, vanilla. The real thing.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:31 | 4875798 A Lunatic
A Lunatic's picture

Out of sight out of mind, bitchez.........

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:59 | 4875944 Stuck on Zero
Stuck on Zero's picture

Not mentioned is that modern fracking occurs along miles of horizontal drill string - not the old vertical drill strings.  Also not mentioned are the perforations of impervious rock layers that kept brine and toxic chemicals sealed deep below.  Perforating these layers can release lots of cool things like arsenic, benzenes, aromatic hydrocarbons and other delicious goodies.

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:35 | 4876083 NoDebt
NoDebt's picture

Hold on a second.... what's that crack in my basement floor?  I don't remember it being there before.  Whoah!  Something's coming out of it.... mmmmmm..... aromatic hydrocarbons!  Mmmmmm.  Whoah.... what's this I see?  A unicorn!  I see a UNICORN!  And Skittles!  There are Skittles coming out of the unicorn's.... oh, wait, that's just nasty.  I gotta get outta here.  I think I've had too many aromatic hydrocarbons.

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:57 | 4876172 CrazyCooter
CrazyCooter's picture

Putting the "zen" in benzene, aye?

Regards,

Cooter

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 02:52 | 4877113 Broken_Trades
Broken_Trades's picture

Not mentioned is that modern fracking occurs along miles of horizontal drill string - not the old vertical drill strings.  Also not mentioned are the perforations of impervious rock layers that kept brine and toxic chemicals sealed deep below.  Perforating these layers can release lots of cool things like arsenic, benzenes, aromatic hydrocarbons and other delicious goodies.

You know just enough to sound like you know something to people who know nothing.

You can't "Perforate" through "rock layers". 
http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulicfracturing/upload/casingperforatedoverview.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perforation_(oil_well)

This is how fractures propagate underground:
http://petrowiki.org/Fracture_mechanics
http://www.slb.com/resources/publications/oilfield_review/~/media/Files/resources/oilfield_review/ors13/sum13/defining_hydraulics.ashx

A "Drill String" is the thing that drills, ie Pipe, tools and bit.  You do not frack the drill string.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill_string

Whether a "WELL" is horizontal or vertical has no effect on where the fractures go. (see fracture propagation). 

In regards to this article, its about the only sane thing I have read about fracking in a while.  Someone should like this article to GeorgeWashingtons Blog.

 

 

 

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 06:55 | 4877255 SuperRay
SuperRay's picture

Gee, when the water coming out of my faucet catches fire, I can't help but think there's a problem here. But then I'm. Not a brilliant economic thinker like this guy...

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:38 | 4875829 DaddyO
DaddyO's picture

His area has nearly two hundred years of mining, smelting and other assorted industries. They have paid a big price in terms of ground water contmination.

Anyone remember the Cuyahoga River catching fire in the late sixties and early seventies. Down in the three rivers area of Pittsburgh, there was also serious pollution from indiscriminent dumping and runoff. Instead of the states dealing with it, the Feds stepped in and we now have an EPA that has usurped state sovereingty in the name of regulation.

Had the states not failed in their mission, the EPA would most likely not have come into being.

Where's the states on the fracking issues? Most have been late to this party as well.

It's amazing what a well paid lobby can accomplish.

DaddyO

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:52 | 4875892 LetThemEatRand
LetThemEatRand's picture

Throw a few bucks at land owners and workers, and you can make a big shit pile that everyone else has to pay for decades later while you keep you your shit pile of money.  Funny how that works, and funny that anyone would blame government for failing to stop it, but give a pass to the guys who caused it.  Government failed.  The guys with the money succeeded.  So let's get rid of elected government and let the guys with money figure it out.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:56 | 4875927 Agstacker
Agstacker's picture

Personally, I'm much more concerned with the pesticides and herbicides and fertilizers that farmers drench their crops with, then it washes into the water systems.  Ever read up on the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico?  I'll give you a hint, it's not from fracking fluids.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:08 | 4875978 LetThemEatRand
LetThemEatRand's picture

Not to mention that we eat the food.   

I'm not sure when most of America decided that profit is more important than everything else.   

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:33 | 4876074 nmewn
nmewn's picture

About the time someone said "there outah be a law".

The senators then rushed to their on-line trading accounts to comply ;-)

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:45 | 4876120 LetThemEatRand
LetThemEatRand's picture

Or when people started thinking that they (and everyone else) should live by an ideology whose central premise revolves around markets.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:50 | 4876137 msmith9962
msmith9962's picture

Seems like no one can think beyond their next credit card cycle.  Even my folks think fracking is the answer thanks to fox.  This is clearly just an extension of the music and not a long term solution putting off the inevitible for another generation.  Not only will they have to deal with a solution, they will have a more fucked up land to try to address it. 

Stop kicking the fucking can.  Enough politicians and bankers!  Where are the leaders?

When the credit and cheap energy bubble pops simultaneously population is going to come screaming back to 1 billion.  In addition to 6 billion dead the place will look like a trashed house party to boot.

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:57 | 4876171 LetThemEatRand
LetThemEatRand's picture

But think of all the Soylent Green.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:07 | 4876201 msmith9962
msmith9962's picture

mmmmm, soylent green.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:22 | 4876255 msmith9962
msmith9962's picture

I heard they also use lemon juice in the fracking mixture imparting a pleasant lemony taste to the ground water.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:24 | 4876262 LetThemEatRand
LetThemEatRand's picture

It doesn't just taste good.  It's good for you.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:58 | 4876861 MontgomeryScott
MontgomeryScott's picture

Ethelyne Glycol tastes good to dogs and cats. Try giving some to your mother-in-law. Mix it with unsweetened lemonade (Goverment Motors used to like to call it 'DEX-COOL'). Wasn't her name 'Ethyl'? ALL 'mother-in-laws' are named 'Ethyl', I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JQ12t-XXqI

If you're in to farming, trust DOW. They are really good at shit. I hope you don't forget, because the stupid little actress in the commercial promoting the use of pesticides probably has some form of cancer (it's been 27 years, after all).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpORAdTUt9Q

Union Carbide did some good things too (in the spirit of competition, and all). One time, they tried to kill a chick (a baby chicken), but I guess they got that one wrong. They made up for it, though, several decades later. Didn't they have that issue in Bhopal, India? I forget...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpORAdTUt9Q

(I was searching for the first SNL archival footage of the parody advertisement that described a husband and wife talking about a product that did different things equally well. 'It's a FLOOR WAX!' 'It's a DESSERT TOPPING!' Does anyone remeber seeing this parody 'commercial'? I think it was Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin, together. The 'annoucer' in this skit, I think, was Dan Akroyd. First-season stuff. The Canucks did a good job of mimicing this original series, in their 'Second-City Television' series, some years later. INSTEAD, I stumbled across some old commercials that go a little deeper and more serious than I had intended)

I have an ad showing on my screen over here at the Hedge that wants me to lease a Mercedes Benz from Portland, Oregon, for $299.00 a month (with $4153.00 up front). I was wondering if anyone out there was knowledgable in the 'telematics' that they employ; regarding remote controlled operation of every function of the car. It kind of reminds me of Micheal Hastings' Mercedes (before his 'accident'). http://www.mercedesbenzportland.com/index.htm

YES, NO BULLSHIT.

I trust my government to decide the correct limitations of armed drone strikes upon it's own populace, LTERAND. HERE, trust ME. I'll just put the tip in, I promise. I have to 'INFILTRATE' the 'OPPOSITE PARTY'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETGAlGre-lY

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY? Not in RAND'S book, I suppose. Da' COPS called hin a 'PERP', and they are our 'Sherlock Holmes' crime guys!

FUCK.

 

 

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 00:59 | 4876970 sylviasays
sylviasays's picture

"I have an ad showing on my screen over here at the Hedge that wants me to lease a Mercedes Benz from Portland, Oregon, for $299.00 a month (with $4153.00 up front)"

Portland, Oregon? The uber liberal leftist "green" city that forbids fracking but where residents recently had to again boil their drinking water because of another case of e. coli contamination? 

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/05/portland_water_boil...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/e-coli-contaminates-portland-ore-tap...

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 22:35 | 4876580 Greenskeeper_Carl
Greenskeeper_Carl's picture

who do you think is going to make money off this climate change scam? look at who backs a lot of these plans. self proclaimed 'environmentalists' who just so happen to stand to make a killing if certain legislation is passed. I did not down vote you, as i like what you bring to the table in many cases, but i strongly disagree with you on this kind of shit. All of this global warming(cooling a few years ago) and now climate change(where are those 'devastating hurricane seasons'?) is nothing but a giant scam to steal more money from the productive members of the world. Pretty much every single type of economic activity releases CO2, so when this whole idea of 'carbon-credits' and polution tax stuff is floated around, all they are really talking about is a GLOBAL tax on ALL economic activity. That is the goal of all this, global warming is just the means used to sell it to the gullible. Who will this hit hardest? the poor and middle class, especially in western/developed countries. Brought to you by the same people who keep promising that more debt will solve the problems caused by too much debt, and that devalueing the currency is the answer to economic downturns, and who insist that huge GDP growth is always just around the corner. I just don't get how someone like you, who sees through all the other bullshit, still buys this, hook line and sinker. I get it, they are "scientists" so we should listen to them. Does this mean that krugman, bernanke, yellen, etc, are smart economists, so we should just listen to them too?

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 00:22 | 4876920 Flakmeister
Flakmeister's picture

So you finally figured out that we are fucked eh? So instead of pretending it doesn't exist, figure out the best way to deal with it...

That is the real issue...

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:28 | 4876046 Xibalba
Xibalba's picture

DaddyO sounds like the perfect candidate for a capitalist experiment.  Here:  do piggies fly and can I make money off it?  .. (Throws you off the fucking bridge).....Yep!  Sell that footage! 

 

2 edged sword?  Or assisted suicide?

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:43 | 4876112 DaddyO
DaddyO's picture

Either or, your still dead...

I am a freemarket guy who believes the local .govs have sat on their thumbs for so long that to take back their authority now will be nigh impossible.

That's why the big .gov is so big. It is past the tipping point in my opinion and we are now headed for the falls. The only discussion is now about when, not if.

Fracking, corruption climate change etc. just makes for good conversation on the hedge...

DaddyO

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:10 | 4876127 Xibalba
Xibalba's picture

The 'Free Market' died a long time ago.  Your ideals are a barbarous relic.  Or are you also in favor of bailouts, taxpayer funded of course, crony 'capitalism' (Fascism), and Reaganomics...i.e. The Presidents Working Group on Markets, which he created by executive order? Executive Order 12631

 

 

*edit*  Downvote me cuz you can't find any snarky words?  This is Fight Club!  FIGHT you pussy!  Typical 'free market' guy....  'I got no words' mumble jumble idiot. 

*pps*  You upvoted yourself?!?!  come on!  Just delete your acct and go back to drinking Bud light and watchin the Steelers lose. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:26 | 4876268 Xibalba
Xibalba's picture

crickets

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 00:14 | 4876883 DaddyO
DaddyO's picture

Hey dumbass, who says you have to have freemarkets to believe in them?

And yes, your right, my ideals are barbarous and downright old fashion and I ain't changing because a pinhead like you thinks so...

DaddyO

edit: I didn't have to downvote you, everyone else saw your brilliance and decided to reward you for it.

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 00:36 | 4876941 MontgomeryScott
MontgomeryScott's picture

Well, you appear to be a deep-sleeper cellmate.

I dunna ken, though, laddie.

You are fracking with the wrong people, I know; and your mantra of 'communism vs. capitalism' won't work. Communists are totalitarians, and so-called 'capitalists' (by this day's definition) are socialist totalitarians (the two schools of the Rothschild-funded revolutionaries had differences regarding how the takeover was to be accomplished. SOME promoted 'soft social changes over many years', while OTHERS were promoting VIOLENT and RAPID changes. The only difference between the two was the METHOD of ACHIEVING the ENSLAVEMENT and ERADICATION of those that they think are 'USELESS EATERS'). YES, I READ and COMPREHENDED Hegel when I was a child (under 12 years of age).

Did I LOSE your sorry Marxist 'assets' here, planted schill?

 

You are a useful idiot (until such time that you change your 'belief system', at which time you will be selected for 'special handling and indoctrination'). I am not being critical here. I am simply stating the FACT of the matter at hand.

There MIGHT have been an epoch or a time in history when you and I could have sparred together as companions; and helped each other up after winning and losing; in the way of 'gentlemen'.

I know way too much; and have seen too much, and can defeat your thinking with the stroke of a pen (or a computer keystroke).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6LA7v1PApU

Music soothes the savage breast.

 

EDIT:

Sorry. I linked the incorrect album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23DpRxb3XNM

Hell, no one's 'perfect'.

 

 

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:23 | 4875755 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

Ridiculous trade-off to sacrifice permanent water resources for a few years of Nat Gas.

"Closer to energy independence"... due to fracking?  Keep dreamin'.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:47 | 4875884 RevRex
RevRex's picture

Why repeat stupid Democrat lies?

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:55 | 4875921 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

Who you callin' a Democrat, you fucking bankster-gangster NWO-Commie bastard.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:28 | 4876276 Xibalba
Xibalba's picture

Math and Logic are hard for the Red Team/Blue Team champions.  

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:30 | 4876281 TheFourthStooge-ing
TheFourthStooge-ing's picture

.

"Closer to energy independence"... due to fracking?

Why sure! You know how standing on a chair at noon moves you closer to the sun? It's just like that.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:29 | 4875786 indygo55
indygo55's picture

Oilprice.com doesn't mention that for every $1.50 of CAPEX we get $1.00 of energy driving the debt up and requiring more and more wells to maintain the illusion that we are becoming energy independent, and the wells go to a fraction of the output in under a year? 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:09 | 4876695 Augustus
Augustus's picture

Oilprice.com did not mention it because it is nonsense.

If the expenditures for drilling and completion were greater that the value of the recovered product the companies doing it would have gone out of business long ago.

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 00:49 | 4876984 MontgomeryScott
MontgomeryScott's picture

Perhaps you can give everyone a refresher course on the economics of Government subsidies.

Let's start with the raw data regarding the 'official national debt' of the United States. THAT one is a REAL hoot, don't you think?

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

NO! It CAN'T BE TRUE!

SUBSIDIES are GOOD!

SEE the 'output figures'?

EXPENDITURES by GOVERNMENT to SUBSIDISE CORPORATE SHORT-TERM PROFIT MARGINS is ALWAYS GOOD for EVERYONE who is a STAKEHOLDER!

 

I forgot the 'FUCK YOU, you douchebag oilcorp schill propagandist NWO promoter' meme.

Should I be hereby banned?

Do you GOLDMAN much, SACHS?

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 12:13 | 4878199 Augustus
Augustus's picture

No, you should not be banned.

All of you stupid chicken screwers make a great spectical of displaying your ignorance.

Tell me exactly what you believe the subsidies are for a company developing wells in the Marcellus shale in Ohio and Pennsylvania?  Oil producers are taxed like every other company.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:33 | 4875807 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

Maybe we can all just hold hands and humm gently until the earth's crust lovingly gives forth that which we need.

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 01:35 | 4877042 MontgomeryScott
MontgomeryScott's picture

Kumbayah, my lord, Kumbayah...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=degwE0bdbn8

Radiation is GOOD for you. Ann Coulter told me so.

Did you know that Chernoybl is in the northernmost part of Ukraine, and it's main river supplies the drinking water to Kiev?

The Fukushima Daiichi plants were processing the U-238 (called 'depleted uranium, or 'D.U') for the U.S. CONUS OCCUPIERS (before the 'earthquake'). I forget the exact figure of 'unaccounted-for' nuclear fuel thingies, but it is around 58 tons (as of the 2014 report by the IAEA). Do you think that Condi Rice was pretty? Do you think that THEY might have uses the phrase 'YELLOW' cake uranium, in some forlorn hope that the veterans of W. W. I. I. might remember that the Japanese were also called OTHER things back then, like 'the yellow man'? Which ancient female goddess is named 'ISIS'? Is 'Queda' actually Spanish for 'cheese', and is the addition of "'al" supposed to denote 'middle-eastern' cheese? Is the 'Federal Reserve' REALLY a part of the 'Federal Government'? Are CORPORATIONS ACTUALLY PEOPLE?

Obama is half-black and half-white. People USED to call this mix 'MULLATO' in the South (when a slave-girl was impregnated by a loving master, mostly at HER instigation). Is he black, or is he white, or is he just all mixed up?

I don't know. It's all mixed up. (I THINK this is an 'E.P.' 45 RPM 10-inch diameter release by a band named 'The Cars', back in the day, but I can't be sure.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZhfFXEMMI4

WORSHIP the HOLY BOMB.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWPvKxSA7nw

 

 

EDIT for spelling and punctuation.

 

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:46 | 4875883 RevRex
RevRex's picture

Dear World Debt Dumbass.....

 

Why not read the article before replying with stupid lies.

 

 

Thanks

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:57 | 4875934 AGuy
AGuy's picture

After fracking the water needs to be removed from the well as it prevents the flow of Oil and gas. The water that comes up is very contaminated, not only with the fracking fluids (used to prevent microbes from growing and gumming up the fractures) by with toxins picked up from the well, This includes soluble hydrocarbons, dissolved hydrocarban gases, heavy metals, or anything soluble in water.

Rather then dispose of the contaminated water (millions of gallons per Drill pad) Its easier to just drill a hole on site and pump it to into the local aquifer and dump the contaminated water. It would cost the frackers a boat load of money to truck off the contamined water and have it properly disposed of. They might even lose money if they had to properly dispose the contaminated water. The water pumped into the ground water ends up containmating peoples drinking water.

Also the don't use sand very much. they use a ceramic proppant which works much better then sand.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:22 | 4876037 BandGap
BandGap's picture

Millions of gallons? Idiot. Try thinking before writing anything. You have to displace something with the fracking fluid. The actual fucking drill hole is NOT millions of fucking gallens.

Contaminated with what? What fucking "heavy metals" are you talking about? How the fuck do you get heavy metal concentrations at any level at drill depths of thousands of feet. Idiot. Stop using fucking buzz words to scare people. You don't know shit.

Please enlighten me about "soluble hydrocarbons". Idiot. Do you mean like sodium lauryl sulfate. A long chained surfactant used in shampoos? Or do you mean actual hydrocarbons, which by definition are soluble in water at the PPM level?

It's called sand by the industry, idiot.

You don't know shit.

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 06:31 | 4877233 Frankie Carbone
Frankie Carbone's picture

Wow, impress me and everyone else by citing a common emulsifier that anyone can read off of the ingredients of a shampoo bottle. 

Let's think about your hubristic pseudo-tecnobabble for a second: 

Millions of gallons, you laugh at? Well, my pool is 30x15 and it is 15,000 gallons. 75 swimming pools will contain just over a million gallons. Sure the DRILL HOLE can't hold 75 pools full of water, but an acre of land of land, a few thousand feet down? Not an issue at all. Wow, now a million gallons doesn't seem so "BIG" does it?

Indeed, the solubility of water and long chain hydrocarbons is in the PPM, due to the extremely weak vanderwall's forces between water and long-chain hydrocarbons (including hydrocarbon rings). However, crude, or shale oil is a soup, and not all of its contents are long chain hydrocarbons, nor are all non-polar. So your PPM number is in question, as it seems that you are including only long chain hydro's of C8-C10 or longer and if you summate the concentrations of the various components than that PPM number can get quite big. Afterall, we're not talking about just one hydrocarbon here. Wait... that's not even relevant. You're insinuating that even 1 ppm isn't so bad?

What an idiot. 

Tsk, Tsk. Either ignorance, disingenuousness, or just enough knowledge on something to be dangerous. 

I'll enlighten you on solubility of hydrocarbons. First, alkanes are not the only ingredient in the soup. The SOLUBLE ones, aromatic hydrocarbons are also present. Por ejemplo, benzene has a solubility of about 1.5 grams per liter. Benzene's molecular weight is 78.1 grams/mol, so 1.5 grams is .0192 moles. Water is 18.1 grams per mole and 1 liter is 1000 grams, so that's 18,100 grams per mole. So that's .92 ppm, which technically is sub PPM per your assessment. But benzene is considered to be SOLUBLE in water, even at these levels, and if I may ask, would you drink water that had .92 ppm? If you would then Darwin's law should apply and I highly suggest that you do. 

Also, you only mention homogenous mixtures and fail to consider suspensions. Do you think a non-polar suspension of long chain hydrocarbons in a polar solvent (water) mixed under tremendous turbidity is going to be in the sub PPM range? If so, then I invite you to have a gulp of that too. (Just invoking Darwin's law here). 

You might want to instead of gulping down that stuff, enjoy a big glass of shut the fuck up. Because when you post here you have to consider that Fight Club has a significant number of well educated folks here that can and will call you on your crap, and that very obviously doesn't reflect well on you. 

By the way, Dioxin, the stuff that forced an evacuation of the Love Canal district in Western NY in the 70's, defoliated a good chunk of Viet Nam, and caused cancer in tens of thousands, if not far more, has a solubility of 19.2 ng/l, which is ~84 g/mole, results in .23 parts per billion, not million. 

Wow, PPM doesn't seem so insignificant anymore, does it Oppenheimer? 

So, shut your pie hole, You have no fucking clue what you are talking about. 

Thus endith the bitchslapping. 

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:37 | 4876090 HappyCamper
HappyCamper's picture

The progressive playbook... why tell the truth when a lie will do.
Lisa Jackson, Obama's EPA secretary stated “Not aware of any proven case of water contamination.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im-yJhCHhCo

"Green" activist groups often talk to landowners who are considering leasing their land out for fracking to try and convince them otherwise.  Of course, the greenies soon tell the water contamination lie, but it's not long before the landowners learn the truth.  After that, the greenies just get tuned out as being liars and soon the fracking equipment comes in. 

Don’t let the truth get in the way of progress, eh?

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 22:59 | 4876658 Augustus
Augustus's picture

Why is it necessary to make up stuff about fracking?

Even Lisa Jackson was unable to do it.  There are not proven cases of water contamination from fracking.  There may be some cases where the casing was improperly cemented before fracking.  However, there are no cases where the frack job caused the problem.

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:06 | 4876680 Augustus
Augustus's picture

Water spilled upon the ground and recovered will contain the minerals from the earth.  Recovered frack fluids are polluted in the same way.  The hazardous minerals in returned frack water are very minute quantities.  BTW, that water returned is then not left in the well forever.  It is returned for reuse in the water cycle.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:14 | 4876005 BandGap
BandGap's picture

I have been involved in deep well fluids since the late 80s, this article is NOT completely true. Deep well fluids were mostly sodium bromides and chlorides of sufficient density that when pumped into the ground forced oil from old wells to the surface.  Funny, but most of the sodium bromides and chlorides were first extracted from the ground and then concentrated. This IS NOT fracking. And as far as "hazardous chemicals" don't use sea fucking salt then. Idiots.

I have reviewed the work of a chemical engineer friend who has both sold and installed fracking equipment. I love mother earth as much as anyone so I had a somewhat critical eye. Fracking is not like pumping salt into the ground for old wells, it's pumping sand and water and a fucking lubricant into the ground which isn't geologically suited to just pump salt water into. The guar gum is a coating/lubricant for the sand. Anyone who has ever tried to slurry sand and pump it would understand.

So when it's used in ice cream it's yummy, when it's pumped into the ground it's fucking hazardous? Fuck you, idiot. BTW, the industry has found other lubricants less expensive than guar which this shitty article fails to mention.

Fracking works. And before any assholes start talking about earthquakes read about hydrolic fluids as they pertain to geology.

 

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:32 | 4876063 rubiconsolutions
rubiconsolutions's picture

The folks in Oklahoma might have a little to say about fracking. It seems like they've been having a lot of earthquakes lately. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:13 | 4876716 Augustus
Augustus's picture

The Oklahoma earthquakes result from the small releases of geologic stress and tension.  They are not damaging and cannot be felt by humans.  Fracking is creating a more stable condition.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:15 | 4875718 Greenskeeper_Carl
Greenskeeper_Carl's picture

but but but GLOBAL WARMING!!!!

shit, sorry, CLIMATE CHANGE!!!!

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:18 | 4875731 JuliaS
JuliaS's picture

Judging by the chart, global warming is caused by the rising price of Guar gum.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:33 | 4875815 knukles
knukles's picture

Hockey Sticks en Flagrante

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:15 | 4875721 A Lunatic
A Lunatic's picture

And here I thought my ice cream was more expensive because of inflation. Boy do I feel stupid......

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:17 | 4875729 logicalman
logicalman's picture

Boom????

Estimates of Recoverable Oil from California's Monterey Shale Reduced 96%

http://www.planetizen.com/node/68912

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 03:00 | 4877119 Matt
Matt's picture

The 96% reduction estimate is based on TODAY'S PRICE. The orignal estimate is TECHNICALLY RECOVERABLE. The true amount that can be recovered is some amount inbetween, depending on how high of a price the market can bear, and for how long.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:19 | 4875735 Thecomingcollapse
Thecomingcollapse's picture

I don't fracking care

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:27 | 4875782 JuliaS
JuliaS's picture

Frack the Fred!

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:32 | 4875803 Seize Mars
Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:22 | 4876004 JuliaS
JuliaS's picture

Hope you like my favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipJTqCbETog

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 22:48 | 4876618 Seize Mars
Seize Mars's picture

LOL excellent

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:20 | 4875741 Calling Elvis
Calling Elvis's picture

One thing I think we can all agree on is fracking for oil isn't cheap.  If the economy tanks and oil goes to $70 a barrel the fracking comes to a scretching halt.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:37 | 4875834 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

If our record surplus of oil has the prices as high as they are now, how much surplus would we need for $70 oil? I don't think anyone will care if no fracking is going on. We will probably be living in caves if oil is $70.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:43 | 4875869 pakled
pakled's picture

"...comes to a scretching halt".

 

"...comes to a fracking halt". There. Fixed it for ya.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:20 | 4875745 logicalman
logicalman's picture

Informed debate??

The writer of the article isn't particularly well informed.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:33 | 4876075 BandGap
BandGap's picture

That's putting it lightly. I think it's meant to draw out the clowns.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:24 | 4875758 John McCloy
John McCloy's picture

  I consider the people here at Zero Hedge and it's readers to tbe the most informed I and most will ever come across. I know that after being involved in many conversations with friends, family, randoms and bar patrons that there is a great deal I can speak on because I am informed. When it comes to fracking when asked and my opinion I am always honest and say that I do not speak on subjects I have minimal if any knowledge of AS OPPOSED to the many fools we have all engaged in conversation on banking, imperialism, war complex, crony capitalism and the dangers facing us if we do not revert  to our found principles..as always they are armed with platitiudes and regurtiation based on emotional responses hand fed by the compromised MSM.

     I will say this..when I see little stickers saying "Ban Fracking Now", marches 2 times a year attempting to ban fracking, MSNBC shove down our throat "FEAR AND DANGERS OF FRACKING" and a recent issuance of documentaries with priminent coverage, reviews, placement on channels and highly "liberal facso" producers my red pill ears point up and I know I am trying to be forced to an opinion ALA "GASLAND" which Matt Damon narrates.

    So I am glad this is appearing on Zero Hedge because I am sure I will likely get all the education and pointing in the right direction to finally be informed because the commentors on here are bar none the smartest on the Internet. Then I can do my own homework and listen to differing opinions and make my own choice.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:31 | 4875788 CPL
CPL's picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathrate_gun_hypothesis

History might not repeat, but it certainly rhymes.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:35 | 4876085 BandGap
BandGap's picture

I have read a bit on this, it is amazing. Interstitial methane in ice at the bottom of the ocean.

I love P-Chem.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:40 | 4875844 CrashisOptimistic
CrashisOptimistic's picture

I must say I was prepared to yell at Tyler about fucking oilprice.com AGAIN, but there's nothing in this article horribly wrong (and outright wrong shit is the norm for oilprice.com).

The item I find that shocks most people about fracking is that it takes 2000 truck trips to drill, frack and produce a well in the Bakken from start of drilling to 365 days later.

The water is 8 pounds per gallon.  You need 5 million gallons, you haul 40 million pounds.  The sand is about 6 million pounds per well.  Haul that too, and the trucks (on dirt roads) are maxed at about 80,000 pounds.

Then when oil flows, you have to collect it, and these wells die so fast there is no way installing a pipeline is economical.  So trucks haul the oil to the railhead. 

Truck drivers in NoDak are paid $85K/yr.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:12 | 4876000 disabledvet
disabledvet's picture

"it is very energy intensive." that's the most important fact.

http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ETR?s=etr

one of the dumbest things ever done in financial history was taking TXU private (they just declared bankruptcy this year)...right up there with the "political" management of EXE after President Obama got elected.

believe it or not one of the problems with fracking is that it produces massive quantities of water...so for those worried about "a huge desert" being the result...believe it or not "a huge swamp" is a major problem.

And for all those who like "far out stuff" (which was mentioned here...but not nearly enough): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_Basin

"hot rocks" or "hottest rocks in the world." in short geothermal energy "including the problem of induced seismic activity." this is energy on a scale well beyond the current energy paradigm. the capital involved is massive however.

the only reason we have an inflation problem is with the money. The launch manifest is pretty much all Space X and Elon Musk now. The defense contractors who get billions can't launch satellites to outer space? Hmmmm. Odd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Communications_Relay_Demonstration

here's a group of people that brings satellites back to life "just because they can":
http://www.physicscentral.com/buzz/blog/index.cfm?postid=402869208272495...

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 22:53 | 4876635 phaedrus1952
phaedrus1952's picture

Mr. McCloy, your post was so reasonable and honest that I felt a need to respond despite my weariness after a long day ...

Data point - yesterday, near Linda, Yuba county, California, reporters were present at a mobile home park - Castlewood Mobile Home Park - to witness a resident lighting tap water afire.  The methane-drenched water was not being filtered and there were fears of a repeat ot an explosion which occurred there in 2008.

The nearest fraccing was taking place a couple of states away in Colorado.  This is NOT in any way an unusual state of affairs in gas-rich areas.

New Cali rules require a publicly accessible database of frac jobs.  Much to the surprise of activists who (seemingly) may use this as a 'choke point' to obstruct future fracs, turns out there have been HUNDREDS  of frac jobs routinely done throughout the state for years, including several a year right in Long Beach Harbor on the THUMS islands.  (Rather than shrugging this off, the lawyer for one activist group expressed OUTRAGE at the gross negligence of state authorities for allowing this dangerous/destructive practice.)

The article's author (above) used the term "breaking up subterranean rock formations"  Well ...

Standard size frac sand is 20/40 mesh which measures between 1/32nd and 1/64th of an inch.  Companies are ecstatic when a wildly successful frac job gets that sand a couple of hundred feet out and STAYS there ... under rock that is one to three miles above ...

I could go on and on (the commentator Tall guy/tom?) had at least ten preposterously false statements in his post ... wouldn't even know where to start to address them, but you know what, Mr. McCloy?  This is not a debate governed by facts and logic.  A great many people feel burning fossil fuels are destroying the world as we know it and this shale revolution is enabling this life-and-death threat to continue.  Fraccing has been adjudged to be a pivot point to head that off and anything/everything to demonize same is ok.

Best wishes in your ongoing quest for truth, sir.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:25 | 4875767 A Lunatic
A Lunatic's picture

Fracking, much like radiation from Fukushima, is good for you.........

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:38 | 4875842 NOTaREALmerican
NOTaREALmerican's picture

If you don't use the Trash Class as test-subjects how will you know?

It seems the Chinese are proving just how resiliant the average peasant can be when it comes to massive polution.   If the Chinese can survive, surely our peasants can too.  

The strength of any society is only as strong as its peasant’s capacity to endure hardships imposed upon them by the superior members of society.   I think our peasants are BETTER than the Chinese and Japanese, but until we test them how will we know. 

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:16 | 4876014 rosiescenario
rosiescenario's picture

It is Darwin at his finest....a selective breeding program to create a new breed of peasant that can thrive in unfriendly environments.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:43 | 4875865 Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill's picture

Tepco blended fracking liquid.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:37 | 4876097 A Lunatic
A Lunatic's picture

Mmmmmm, chicken Tepenyukky.........

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:29 | 4875784 NOTaREALmerican
NOTaREALmerican's picture

The Elysium Class and Elysium Support Class won't be harmed, so it's all good. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:32 | 4875799 i_call_you_my_base
i_call_you_my_base's picture

The per cent of chemicals doesn't really matter if the gross water volume is extraordinarily high.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:34 | 4875812 A Lunatic
A Lunatic's picture

Yeah, fuck it. It's not like there are freshwater tuna living in the underground aquifer.....

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:35 | 4875824 knukles
knukles's picture

A little anthropogenic mercury never hurt anybody

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:33 | 4875814 logicalman
logicalman's picture

So, if I drop a teaspoonful of piss into 20 gallons of water you are OK with drinking it?

 

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:37 | 4875838 i_call_you_my_base
i_call_you_my_base's picture

No. My point is that the stats used here are bullshit. The per cent may be low but the qty could be very high. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:00 | 4875949 Agstacker
Agstacker's picture

If there was no other water and I was dying of thirst, I'd drink it.  When you quit using products that come from oil you can be outraged, if you are typing on a plastic keyboard you are a hypocrite.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:13 | 4876003 Ban KKiller
Ban KKiller's picture

Faulty logic. If we don't complain or act, the masters will flog you to death. But..you benefit from other slaves so no right to complain?

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:38 | 4876030 Harbanger
Harbanger's picture

Theres' more filtered piss than that in your tap water right now.  Thats' where traceable amounts of pharmaceuticals found in your tap come from, recycled sewer water. ie, piss.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:49 | 4876132 Miffed Microbio...
Miffed Microbiologist's picture

We get an extra benefit in Southern Cali. Estrogens in our water. Being the tail end of the Colorado river certainly has it's pit falls. We get all the crap from up stream.

Miffed;-)

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:56 | 4876161 Harbanger
Harbanger's picture

I distill and then carbo/mineral filter all my drinking water, even ground water.  I actually made an automatic solar distiller for sea water that works like a charm. it makes so much, I water my veggies to drain the tank and keep it working.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:17 | 4876237 Christophe2
Christophe2's picture

I distill and filter as well, although I make sure to re-mineralize the water, since pure water without minerals is very bad for you.  Since I'm in an apartment, I use an electric system to distill (at least, the 'heat' is free in winter).

IMO, distillation is far better than Reverse-Osmosis (RO) because the fracking liquids will degrade the osmotic membrane and hence the effectiveness of the filter varies over time and is expensive (in membranes) to maintain, whereas distillation + filter pretty much always works great, with lots of sources of heat available too.

The only problem really is that it is hard to find a great source of minerals.  All I can find is ConcenTrace, which is stuff taken from the polluted Salt Lakes in Utah.  Anyone know of a better alternative?  I would especially love something where specific amounts of isolated mineral salts are scientifically purified and combined.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:55 | 4876380 Harbanger
Harbanger's picture

I would'nt be too concerned about the minerals in water. I filter mine though mineral rocks for flavor more than anything. 
It's slightly more alkaline and tasty from the mineral salts in the rocks.  Your minerals are really gotten from the plants and foods you eat.  Cooking with raw sea salt is a good way of getting some good trace minerals, and it tastes better than processed salt.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:56 | 4876415 Miffed Microbio...
Miffed Microbiologist's picture

You are correct. Inorganic minerals are not bioavailable. Plants chelate them for use to use. Have you hugged a plant today? ;-)

One reason to eat good quality organic or home grown. A plant cannot chelate what is not present in the soil. Minerals in conventional farming have been long depleted.

Miffed;-)

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:19 | 4876243 Miffed Microbio...
Miffed Microbiologist's picture

Smart. We are in the 5% in San Diego that are on wells. Ours is higher grade purity by far than the city water. We also have negligible fluoride which I was happy to find out. Funny, when I mentioned that to my work associates they were concerned I should supplement for my teeth! Damn near laughed my head off. They were happy SD started to fluoridate. Came a time I would show them articles on the dangers of fluoridated water but they never are interested what I have to say.

Miffed;-)

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:26 | 4876266 WillyGroper
WillyGroper's picture

LOL.

The medical establishment is the toughest nut to crack. Finally got a nurse & Dr. to open their mind.

They eyes followed.

They're taught what to think, not how. 

Good ol' Rottenfellar "Snake Oil". 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 21:52 | 4876391 Miffed Microbio...
Miffed Microbiologist's picture

I gotta hand them. Certainly a brilliant strategy.

Up until the 1930?s, fluoride was discharged directly into the air and waterways, causing great damage. Lawsuits were mounting as more and more victims learned that their problems were caused by fluoride poisoning. The industry’s response was to change the public’s perception of fluoride.

Many ‘scientific’ studies were presented to convince the public that fluoride was safe. Lucrative positions were created for ‘research’ and ‘education’ with the express purpose of promoting the use of fluoride in toothpaste and in drinking water. Instead of paying millions for disposal of this toxic waste, fluoride was now being sold to toothpaste and water companies!

Maybe their next attempt will be to do this with HFCs and GMOs. I'm sure enough idiots today would buy it. ;-)

Miffed;-)

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 22:55 | 4876643 WillyGroper
WillyGroper's picture

"Up until the 1930?s, fluoride was discharged directly into the air "

JHC, I was not aware of that.

You should see what these chemtrails are doing to my 30 yr old oak trees. I'm so mad I can't see straight. Fuckers flew in a circle right over my house last night. Tonight, perfect vector. When the crap settles it drifts. Looks like the leaves have been sprayed with roundup. I just spent about $250 for minerals for both the trees & vege garden as the sulphuric acid inhibits the mineral absorption. Potassium, nitrogen, magnesium & calcium are imperative to try & keep them alive. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 22:31 | 4876571 Milestones
Milestones's picture

Yes, if the altwernative is death. Poorly worded challenge.           Milestones

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:25 | 4876757 Augustus
Augustus's picture

No one should drink anything with any amount of piss in it.  Drain all resevoirs that have had a duck land on them.

As for the reuse of urine, it is known to be a method of survival as opposed to dying of thirst.  Not particularly harmful, just not good to imagine.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:33 | 4875810 Hohum
Hohum's picture

Here's another thing about fracking:  In the Bakken, about $10-15B in new wells in the past year to yield about $600M more revenue.  Don't believe me?  Search "Bakken oil statistics."

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:36 | 4875826 logicalman
logicalman's picture

So, when the planet has been destroyed, there'll still be revenue.

All's well, then, I guess

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:44 | 4875868 Peter Pan
Peter Pan's picture

If you could borrow $1-15B off the FED at 0% or much less, claim deductions for your capital expenses so as to reduce overall taxes, no wonder $600 million more in revenue justifies the expense. Unless your math is missing some other important fact.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:49 | 4875901 CrashisOptimistic
CrashisOptimistic's picture

Even that doesn't work.

15B at 0% is still 15B owed.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:28 | 4876768 Augustus
Augustus's picture

The old wells were profitable producers which had production declines.

Investments allowed replacement of the declines and increased revenues.

Your numbers are nonsense.  Another of the lies using statistics.

It about the same as stating the there has been a very small population increase so the money spent on food supplies was wasted.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:55 | 4876851 phaedrus1952
phaedrus1952's picture

It is actually far more distorted than that, Aug.  The vast majority of the 8,000 or so wells in the Bak have been drilled since 2007.  As such they are almost all - near every single one - an exploratory well(wildcat), delineation well (testing the amount/parameters of the reservoir), or retention (just drilling like mad to protect the leases - termed Held By Production).  It is only now that full-on production/develolpment will start.

The numbers that will come out of North Dakota in the coming years will stun casual observers.

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 09:59 | 4877670 Hohum
Hohum's picture

Augustus,

The numbers I quote are MARGINAL numbers.

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 12:28 | 4878262 Augustus
Augustus's picture

Augustus,

The numbers I quote are MARGINAL numbers.

 

So is the slight population increase I mentioned.

Wells do not live forever or produce forever.  Reserves are depleted and production declines.  That should not be news to you.

People are drilling new wells with profits generated from the earlier wells.  Depending uon the well, of course, but it is common for the comapnies to recover all costs in 6 - 18 months.

They got the money back with profits early enough to keep the rigs running.  Newer completion methods make wells more productive while a number of changes have made the wells less expensive.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:36 | 4876803 phaedrus1952
phaedrus1952's picture

Tnx for that heads up, Ho, but I keep seeing those stats and I'll need to check the details later.  FWIW, back of the envelope numbers today are ... $100/bbl times 1 million/day (current output) times 365 comes to bout 36 billion gross for 2014.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:35 | 4875823 smithmorra
smithmorra's picture

It's also "all natural" but so are other deadly things that cause pollution.  Ask some of the people in Texas whose water supplies are contaminated and other essential things for organic living things that get wasted by corporate greed.  I've got a revolutionary idea; how about conservation and collaboration with others on a community level so that the race to the bottom doesn't get more and more vicious??

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:57 | 4875936 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

What would be excellent would be a government agency to monitor and regulate these types of things.

See how easy it is to empower tyranny by simply trying to save the world.

The only answer is to work at a community level as you suggest and find some way to keep the federal government from taking it over. Remember when we had community schools?

 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:50 | 4876134 Harbanger
Harbanger's picture

"See how easy it is to empower tyranny by simply trying to save the world."

+1000

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:37 | 4875836 pakled
pakled's picture

#6: Starbucks favorite swear word

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:37 | 4875837 Jeepers Creepers
Jeepers Creepers's picture

You do understand water constantly recycles itself?  This idea that water is "used up" is absurd.  We dump billions of gallons into the ground watering lawns and plants, the water doesn't go away.

 

All energy sources require some risk, I happen to think fracking is an incredibly positive development for the United States for an incredibly clean form of energy.

 

Most of the "concerns" about fracking are Luddite environmentalists throwing everything at the wall possible to see what will stick.  They really don't care about conservation or energy independence, they're just garden variety Marxists that don't understand the first thing about how we produce energy. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:40 | 4875849 Ban KKiller
Ban KKiller's picture

How are polluted water tables/aquifers "cleaned" up exactly?

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:48 | 4875870 NOTaREALmerican
NOTaREALmerican's picture

By ozzing through the dirt as it works its way downward.   You can take a gallon of water and mix it with a pint of gasoline and poor it in the dirt and it just disappears.   How clean do you want?

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:11 | 4875991 Ban KKiller
Ban KKiller's picture

Sounds like good science! So the polluted aquifer just needs to seep down, for what, a few years or so? Meanwhile don't use the water. 

Solved!

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:34 | 4876792 Augustus
Augustus's picture

Where is the polluted aquifer that you are referring to?

What you will find is that most local water supplies are naturally polluted in some way.  Locals have always had to deal with it.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:50 | 4875905 CrashisOptimistic
CrashisOptimistic's picture

The primary "objection" is not about pollution.

It's about the numbers.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:41 | 4875855 GooseShtepping Moron
GooseShtepping Moron's picture

I would argue that fracking, or something akin to it, goes back a hell of a lot farther than 1947. Roman engineers used to be able to blast apart mountains by digging an intricate series of tunnels through them and then flooding the tunnels with water. The resulting avalanche was then channeled through a separator to sieve out the gold particles. A somewhat different application, but the principle is the same.

If anything, this extreme and immoderate technique is indicative of resource-hungry empires that have entered the descending limb of their life trajectory.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:42 | 4875858 ByronWat
ByronWat's picture

lol the author says he doesn t want to take a side. and he totally do what an obviuous and very badly made manipulation.

if you want to know what it is made of. 

http://www.voltairenet.org/IMG/pdf/Hydraulic-Fracturing-Chemicals.pdf

it is stupid to use that technic without knowing what chimicals is used. it s a f**cking wallstreet made, bubble. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:42 | 4875859 ByronWat
ByronWat's picture

lol the author says he doesn t want to take a side. and he totally do what an obviuous and very badly made manipulation.

if you want to know what it is made of. 

http://www.voltairenet.org/IMG/pdf/Hydraulic-Fracturing-Chemicals.pdf

it is stupid to use that technic without knowing what chimicals is used. it s a f**cking wallstreet made, bubble. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:44 | 4876833 Augustus
Augustus's picture

Do you use toothpaste with flouride in it?

Is your water chlorinated?

Do you breath CO2?

How much lead is in that incandescent light bulb?  Or mercury in the CFL?

It is not the chemical.  It is the quantity of the chemical.

Markey and Waxman are simply scare mongers.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:42 | 4875860 radiobomb
radiobomb's picture

the thing about collapsing the earths crust is that it is permanant. fracking is cheaper than trad pumping, so industry wants it, for better profits.  not so good as a legacy though for future humans.  And reports of industrial waste being used are another example of pay-to-dispose-of becoming a for-sale product.  Nothing for the citizen here, prices will not magically fall to the consumer - petrochem industries win again...... consumers dupped again.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:03 | 4875958 Agstacker
Agstacker's picture

Yea, all the poor grunts doing the dirty roughneck work are working for FREE.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:49 | 4876841 Augustus
Augustus's picture

A frack job pumps water and sand into the crust to create and prop open the crust and hold it open.  If anything, it expands the crust.

"Industrial waste" is regularly used as a lawn and garden soil ammentment in many forms.  Look at Milorganite, gypsum, and calcium silicate.  Anyone want to outlaw Urea fertilizer?

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:43 | 4875867 potato
potato's picture

Various companies use different chemicals for fracking. There is a lot of HCl acid used at 28% concentration to dissolve the rocks (maybe 3000 gal per well?). Then the dangerous chemicals like biocide (poison to keep algae/bacteria from growing in the water), friction reducers (extreme lubricants, where one cup would make it impossible to walk on an acre of pavement. it's usually activated by water and impossible to wash off. you must wait for it to dry and flake away), corrosion inhibitors (six months without them and your well is kaput).

The important part is that different companies use different chemicals. Some chemicals are so dangerous that the 330-gal totes cannot be opened indoors, and outdoors only with a respirator, and the stuff can get on your clothes by just being around an open tote. Some are completely non-toxic. But take HCl for example... the fumes it will burn your eyes and your sense of smell. They pump it in full hazmat suits with respirators. Most of the chemicals are petroleum-based and volatile/flammable.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:55 | 4876855 Augustus
Augustus's picture

HCL is used in limestone formations.  Thereaction with  limestone neutralizes it.

Chlorine and fluoride used in your water supply require special handeling for storage and application.  do you only drink Highland spring water?

People operating jackhammers require breathing protection. 

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 20:53 | 4875873 JuliaS
JuliaS's picture

I believe that most technology can be used productively and responsibly. The problem with resource exploration is that it is often ran by criminals. It involves bribes, extortion, corner cutting, misinformation, fund misappropriation and so on. Even if fracking can be done properly, it doesn't mean it will be.  If guar gum gets too expensive, they'll use depleted uranium, Agent Orange, discarded human fetuses or whatever else they have on hand that gets the job done. If the shale doesn't fracture poperly, they'll dig holes with dynamite and drop C4 charges down drinking wells. They'll set up workers tents and bulldoze them over, just so that they don't have to clean up when the supply's exhausted.

They'll take something that can runs fine on paper and turn it into a shit popsicle.

I'm less afraid of fracking than I'm afraid of the incompetence of people in charge of any resource extraction. You'll ask them to cut grass, and they'll leave you with a smoking crater instead of a lawn, just cause it's cheaper and faster that way.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:44 | 4875874 Schaublin
Schaublin's picture

6. It is a Ponzi Scheme.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:44 | 4875875 tempo
tempo's picture

also 30% 1st year decline, most gas wells uneconomic, 100,000+++ wells abandoned, over in 5-10 years.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:50 | 4875881 NOTaREALmerican
NOTaREALmerican's picture

Sounds like we'll need to double the fracking effort we're putting into this, no?

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:46 | 4875878 James Dandy
James Dandy's picture

Bullshit, anybody that lives around fracking knows they pull the big chemical trucks in and out late at night, so as not to prompt questions, or confront holdouts with guns.  This article is so full of shit I can't stand it.

 

Big pools of used liquids need to be pulled out and re-used it's so nasty.  And it does fuck up the local water table in some cases for those drilled on and the neighbors, not a huge percentage, but if all you have is well water you better give a fuck.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:47 | 4875887 NOTaREALmerican
NOTaREALmerican's picture

Jim, calm down.  The Elysium and Elysium Support Class uses bottled water.  Everythings good.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 23:58 | 4876864 Augustus
Augustus's picture

Bullshit.

People have been living near fracked wells for 60 years.

It does not need to be pulled out,  the fluids are naturally returned when the well flows oil or gas.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:49 | 4875902 B2u
B2u's picture

FRACK YOU.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:51 | 4875903 Vuke
Vuke's picture

What the article, and most posters miss is that fracking doesn't just liberate sweet smelling gas.  It also liberates a host of foul organic chemicals that now become free to migrate slowly upward and sideways.

The USGS has a concise overview of these noxious substances and the danger of water carrying these upward.

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70108091

I had the good fortune to smell some of these one day in a recently excavated a shale pit.  I was nauseous for two days.

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:50 | 4875904 Vuke
Vuke's picture

What the article, and most posters miss is that fracking doesn't just liberate sweet smelling gas.  It also liberates a host of foul organic chemicals that now become free to migrate slowly upward and sideways.

The USGS has a concise overview of these noxious substances and the danger of water carrying these upward.

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70108091

I had the good fortune to smell some of these one day in a recently excavated a shale pit.  I was nauseous for two days.

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