SHALE GAS ‘OMINOUS’

You Think Contaminated Water is All You’ve Got to Worry About with Fracking? Think Again.
August 12, 2011 (Natural Gas Watch)

"The natural gas industry has embraced hydraulic fracturing, or fracking…[But] there are legitimate concerns…To date, most of those concerns have centered around the potential for water contamination…[A] recent report from researchers at Duke University linked hydraulic fracturing to increased methane content in well water.

"But the potential fallout from fracking operations doesn’t end at the water table.
An assessment of the potential impact that natural gas development will have on the communities located within the Marcellus Shale play states that the affect will be nothing less than, 'ominous.'"

Note all the heavy vehicles needed for fracking (click to enlarge)

"The assessment, a confidential document not meant for public distribution, was done by the New York State Department of Transportation and intended to be used by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as they make policy decisions about the extent to which hydraulic fracturing will, or will not, be permitted…"

[From the assessment:] “…the Marcellus region will see a peak year increase of up to 1.5-million heavy truck trips, and induced development may increase peak hour trips by 36,000 trips/hour…[I]t will be necessary to reconstruct hundreds of miles of roads and scores of bridges and undertake safety and operational improvements…The annual costs to undertake these transportation projects are estimated to range from $90 to $156 million for State roads and from $121-$222 million for local roads. There is no mechanism in place allowing State and local governments to absorb these additional transportation costs…”