HYDRAULIC FRACTURING: STILL MISUNDERSTOOD
By Jay Lehr and Tom Harris
Just over a decade ago, America’s energy outlook was revolutionized by technological advances in hydraulic fracturing, commonly called ‘fracking.’ While fracking, the injection of high-pressure water, sand and chemicals into rock to force natural gas and oil to be released, has been used in vertical wells since 1947, new techniques of horizontal drilling are resulting in huge additions to our nation’s hydrocarbon reserves.
Fracking vertical wells was of limited value because the process affected only a few hundred feet of the horizontal sand or shale rock in which the oil and gas resided. However, in 1998, engineer and businessman George Mitchell discovered that steel pipe could be guided from a vertical to a horizontal plane with the use of a flexible drill bit directed by an internal global positional system. Copious quantities of gas and oil were then delivered after fracking along the horizontal pipe. This changed everything in terms of oil and natural gas production and should be welcome news to all Americans.
Yet, environmental activists oppose fracking because it is supposedly a groundwater pollution risk. What they fail to understand is that optimal horizontal fracking is carried out at great depths. Because a steel drill pipe can only bend about three degrees per hundred feet, it takes 30 100-foot lengths of steel pipe to bend a full 90 degrees. Operating at least 3,000 feet beneath the surface, fracking creates cracks in the shale that allow oil and natural gas to flow more readily. These cracks usually measure just a few feet in length and so pose no risk of enabling uncaptured oil and gas to interact with surface water.
The risk of oil and natural gas escaping the pipes that bring the resources to the surface is also infinitesimal. The pipe that brings the hydrocarbons up has as many as seven separate casings at the surface hole which telescope down to a single casing at depth.
A more plausible concern is seismic events. An increase in the incidence of small earthquakes has been observed near fracking sites. Scientists believe this results from procedures such as filling underground rock formations with wastewater after the oil and natural gas has been extracted. This problem can be largely eliminated by controlling the rate and depth at which the wastewater is injected. State governments are now regulating this activity. Regardless, new technologies promise to eliminate all concerns of seismic events and new chemical formulas may sterilize wastewater and make storage safer and easier.
Dwarfing the volume of oil and gas retrieved from shale wells is saline water which commonly also comes up the pipes. This water is taken by truck or pipeline to commercial disposal wells, adding as much as $6 to the cost of producing a barrel of oil. This problem may be solved by processing and recycling the initial fracking water, a new business opportunity for water disposal players. In fact, The Wall Street Journal reported on August 23 that $500 million has already been invested in wastewater disposal companies. KKR & Co., one of the world’s largest private equity firms, has begun approaching wastewater disposal companies for investment.
The big international oil corporations were slow to recognize the potential of fracking and horizontal drilling, initially leaving small companies to lock up land leases. Now the small players are struggling with pipeline bottlenecks and rising labor and material costs and the big companies are taking over. This will quickly lower costs and make it easier to solve problems associated with wastewater and water supply.
Joe Leimkuhler, Vice President of Drilling for Louisiana-based LLOG Exploration, sums up the situation, "Fracking is safe and has the potential to unlock a vast resource of domestic oil and gas to enable America to not only meet much of our domestic demand, but to export globally on a significant scale."
But climate activists do not want this. To supposedly prevent a global warming disaster, they want us to ignore our access to these huge resources formerly unavailable. This would be a serious mistake. No human-caused climate problems are occurring or likely to occur in the foreseeable future. We must take full advantage of the amazing new fracking opportunities nature and technology has provided us.
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Dr. Jay Lehr is the Science Director of The Heartland Institute which is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Tom Harris is Executive Director of the Ottawa, Canada-based International Climate Science Coalition.
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Terri Stober's 'A Road to Barcelona' is set for a new marketing campaign
VENTURA, Calif. – Many parents have hopes and dreams for their children. Be it in academics, sports or arts, parents want their children to be the best they can be. As a mother, author Terri Stober is not new to this.
“A Road to Barcelona: A Mother’s Account” (published by Xlibris in February 2017) was first drafted 25 years ago to fill the void and ease the loneliness that Stober felt with the absence of her two daughters, Troi and Gina, who set out to pursue their dreams to be Olympic gymnasts at a young age. She felt compelled to tell a story that other parents and gymnasts would be able to identify with.
The book is a mother’s recollection of her two daughters’ journey to pursue their dreams 475 miles away. In here, she gives a glimpse of the loneliness and longing that both sides (parents and children) felt during their separation. Difficulties, indecisiveness, joy, pride and sadness — these all played a role in their journey. Written with emotion and an earnest belief in her daughters’ abilities, Stober shares the decisions, successes and experiences she gleaned through the years.
“It is a decision that each family needs to make for themselves, but those that choose to promote an Olympian, you are not alone. I understand your joy, your disappointments at times, and the complete love and dedication, your sacrifices — time and financial commitments, your belief is your children,” the author shares.
“A Road to Barcelona: A Mother’s Account”
By Terri Stober
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 112 pages | ISBN 9781524583330
E-Book | 112 pages | ISBN 9781524583347
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
As a mother of two daughters and six grandchildren, Terri Stober believes she is a blessed woman. She is a retired high school educator and human relations specialist who now lives in Ventura, California, within walking distance of the beach. Retirement has allowed her the time to enjoy her interest. Together with her husband, they raised two daughters in Grass Valley in Northern California, where they found their passion for gymnastics. After the girls’ college graduations, she worked and lived internationally for five years in Cairo, Egypt, and Paris, France, then moved to Seattle, Washington, where she lived for 11 years. Finally, she returned to her home state of California in 2013. Her heart is rooted in family, faith and love for life. Her interest includes hiking, biking, gardening, volunteering at the Ventura Botanical Gardens and the San Buenaventura Mission, practicing photography, playing bridge, traveling, going to the theater and writing.
Xlibris Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider created in 1997 by authors, for authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibris.com or call 1-888-795-4274 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisPub on Twitter for the latest news.
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IEP or a 504 Plan: Which Is Best for Your Child?
Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 1pm ET
with ADHD expert Matt Cohen, Esq.
Which academic plans, programs, accommodations, and services will help my child learn and succeed in school? In this webinar, learn the key advantages and disadvantages of IEPs and 504 Plans for students with ADHD; how to identify the solution best suited for your child; and how to create a bulletproof IEP or 504 Plan and ensure that it's implemented.
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Girls and Women with ADHD: Unique Risks, Crippling Stigma
Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 1pm ET
with ADHD expert Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D.
A generation ago, ADHD was widely considered a condition for boys. We now know that girls and boys are at equal risk for developing ADHD — but that diagnosis is often delayed in females and that women and girls with ADHD face greater stigma. Learn why in this webinar.
Is It ADHD, Autism, or Both? A Parent’s Guide to Social and Emotional Health
Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 1pm ET
with ADHD expert Mark Bertin, M.D.
When your child struggles to make friends, it's always heart-wrenching, but not always clear how you can best help. Learn how ADHD and autism spectrum disorder impact children socially, behaviorally, and emotionally; how to differentiate between them; and the most effective interventions.
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From Shame and Stigma to Pride and Truth: It’s Time to Celebrate ADHD Differences
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at 1pm ET
with ADHD experts Ned Hallowell, M.D., and William Dodson, M.D.
Society uses shame to ensure conformity. But what if a person can’t conform because of his or her neurology? In this webinar, two leading experts explain why shame so often accompanies ADHD, how to educate and correct misperceptions, and how to develop a sense of pride in your ADHD or learning differences.
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