US government to study shale gas extraction process amid environmental concerns

Environmental concerns related to a process used to extract shale gas – a fuel often hailed as a potential ‘energy saviour’ – have prompted the United States Congress to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study the practice, reports Lloyd’s.
Large pools of natural gas are locked in underground rock formations, particularly shale.
Concerns about the limited remaining stocks of oil, gas and coal, in addition to the environmental harm they can cause, have prompted interest in these difficult-to-reach natural gas deposits, Lloyd’s wrote.
Shale gas is extracted through a process called hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking.’ It involves pumping huge volumes of water, sand and chemicals at high pressures deep underground to break up rock formations and allow the gas to escape into wells from where it can be piped to the surface.
“Most of the brew of water and cocktails used to extract the gas stays far beneath the earth, however, with uncertain long-term consequences,” Lloyd’s said. “Campaigners are calling for the technique to be halted until further research can be carried out.”
In the United States, where a growing number of extraction sites are appearing closer to residential and farming areas, there have been cases of blowouts, gas leaks and claims of water contamination, causing illness and the death and deformities of livestock.
Drilling companies are exempt from legislation on clean water, so the chemicals they use in the process are a closely guarded secret, notes Lloyd’s.
The EPA expects to publish its initial report by the end of 2012. A further in-depth study will be due two years later.