Spill risk cited in high volume hydraulic fracturing ban in New York

The State of New York has effectively banned high volume hydraulic fracturing as a method of extracting natural gas, citing environmental risks such as spills of hazardous materials such as petroleum distillates, glycols and aldehydes.

The New York state department of environmental conservation published June 29 a findings statement for high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF), which the state government says “official prohibits” HVHF in the state.

In its final supplemental generic environmental impact statement on the oil, gas and solutions mining regulatory program, the state government noted there are several risks, such as spills.

That impact statement “identifies a significant number of contaminants contained in additives used in fracturing fluids and present in vehicle or machine fuels, and contaminants otherwise associated with high-volume hydraulic fracturing operations,” the state government noted, adding there could be public health effects “from exposure to classes of chemicals such as petroleum distillate products, aromatic hydrocarbons, glycols, alcohols, aldehydes, microbiocides and other constituents.”

Such spills “can occur as a result of tank ruptures, equipment or surface impoundment failures, overfills, vandalism, accidents (including vehicle collisions), ground fires, improper operations and other incidents,” according to the impact statement. “Spilled, leaked or released fluids could flow overland to a surface water body or infiltrate the ground, reaching subsurface soils, aquifers, and drinking water sources.”

HVHF involves “pumping large volumes of water, chemical additives, and a proppant, such as sand, down the wellbore under high pressure to create fractures in the hydrocarbon-bearing rock,” the state government noted. “This process then releases natural gas into the well bore where it can be captured at the surface and moved through pipelines to end users of the gas.”

HVHF “requires significantly more water, and chemical additives, which may pose public health hazards through potential exposure,” according to the impact statement. “The high volumes of fracturing liquids associated with this type of well completion raise concerns about potential significant adverse impacts to water supplies, wastewater treatment and disposal and truck traffic.”

The “primary target” in New York state, for shale gas development, “is currently the Marcellus Shale, with the deeper Utica Shale also identified as a potential resource,” the impact statement adds.