Zach Olson
Attorney, Lobbyist and Executive Editor, Natural Gas 102
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Zach Olson of NaturalGas102.com did an interview with Attorney Adam Schultz who is an advocate for waterless fracking. (Interview below, starts at 17:16)
Adam is an attorney practicing in Albany, New York with the firm Couch White. His legal practice focuses on helping companies move projects through local, state, and federal permitting processes to a successful completion. He has been in the news lately because he is helping a client in New York get a permit for fracking, using gelled propane instead of water.
In 1992, New York State released a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) on oil and gas operations. This study provided the basis for evaluating oil and gas wells proposed in New York in the subsequent years. In 2008, as the shale boom picked up, New York decided to do a more extensive health study on high-volume hydraulic fracturing. That led to a supplemental GEIS, which became a highly charged political document, and was finally released in June 2015.
After the health study’s release in December 2014, State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker found “significant questions and risks to public health which as of yet are unanswered” and Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned “high-volume hydraulic fracturing.” The Governor’s ban was specific to “the stimulation of a well using 300,000 or more gallons of water as the base fluid for hydraulic fracturing for all stages in a well completion, regardless of whether the well is vertical or directional, including horizontal.” From Adam’s perspective, the State studied and banned a very specific activity over concerns relating to water.
Adam has applied to have his client drill a well to be completed with propane fracturing. He noted this method has been used on over 800 well sites in North America, including more than 2,600 fractured well zones. The system is an entirely closed loop. At the surface, propane is mixed with a gelling agent and sand in what is essentially a big blender. Then the gel is sent down the well, the pressure fractures the shale rock around the well, and the sand props open the cracks in the rock. After the fracturing, much of the propane returns up the pipe along with natural gas produced by the well.
Propane fracturing site
At a high level, fracking with propane and water are similar, but propane has some advantages. The obvious advantage is that propane fracking uses zero water, which eliminates most environmental complaints. Adam explained that propane is also a more efficient carrier of sand, because the sand remains suspended in propane but sinks in water. This means propane causes more efficient fracturing and leads to more productive wells. Water used in fracking also brings up low levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), and propane does not. Propane fracturing has historically been done in locations where water sourcing is a problem, and it has been considered more expensive than fracturing with water. Adam said that the low price of propane and improved efficiency of the process has led some studies to show propane fracturing costs on par with water. Adam also said the geology in the Marcellus is well-suited for this process.
Adam addressed some of the questions that have been raised about his client’s application. He said the State of New York will have to decide if the 1992 General Environmental Impact Statement is sufficient, or if additional study will need to be done. Adam says he has seen comments that he is “skirting” the New York ban, but he says the proposal is completely consistent with New York policy. He also said his client is well aware of the economic risks of the project. But the proposal is just to drill one well at this point, it is completely privately funded, and they would not have started the project if they did not believe they could be successful.
the NY DEC became a radical political organization over the last 7 years. we landowners cannot expect to be treated fairly re this new permit application.
unless he is indicted, Cuomo will drag this out indefinitely. undoubtedly, the two lawyers involved are ready to sue the DEC for compliance- but we already know how corrupt NY Democrat judges are…
I AM GLAD NEW YORK LANDOWNERS WILL BE ALLOWED TO USE THEIR LAND AS THEY WANT TO. THEY HAVE BEEN PAYING TAXES ON THE LAND. UPSTATE NY can use the jobs, and the economy will thrive.
No chemical additives,waste ,or cuttings ?? Also water usage is only one issue .Silica dust remains ,leaks,possible blow downs ( venting ) truck traffic ,dangerous propane transportation ,noise ,lights ,pipelines ,and NG facilities still a issue .Plus a lot more nuisances !….Never be Safe always be industrial with industrial problems possible next to our homes …..!!
You can say much of the same things about cars, but I don’t think anyone wants to get rid of them. Leaks, traffic, transporting materials, noise, lights…. They’re all things cars and trucks in general contribute to. Anybody with a driver’s license is never truly safe.
Propane is transported every day and stored directly next to rural people’s homes because unless they burn wood, propane is the only source of home heat available.
Besides, you can make literally just about anything sound bad if want to. For example, one of the key additives to fracking, if you ingest too much, can cause headaches, personality and behavioral changes, confusion, drowsiness and irritability, followed by difficulty breathing, muscle pain and weakness, twitching, cramping, nausea, vomiting, thirst, and more. In fact, sadly, two people last year alone died from consuming too much of this substance commonly found in fracking.
The name of this substance? Well, it’s commonly known as “water”.
OH and still has drilling involved which can cause migration of shallow methane and poisonous minerals etc ! …..into water wells and even homes .
Bill,
You can say the same thing about wind farms and how they negatively impact the environment by their need to install roads in areas like forests which require an occasional switchback so the many trucks delivering the wind turbine parts can make it up some steep grades. The access areas need to be forever maintained or they become conduits for erosion which negatively impacts surface water quality. The foot print of a well is miniscule compared to a horde of “pinwheels” perched upon mountain ridges and the amount of energy produced by such “green” devices pales in comparison to gas wells because the optimum wind speeds are not consistent. Even if they were, it only increases the chance that they can slaughter even more endangered birds and bats. I hope you like mosquitoes because between White Nose Syndrome and promoting “Pinwheels”, expect the population of bats to be even more reduced.
Not to mention that all of these antis heat their hi-rise apartments with good, clean, out of state fracked natural gas. What a bunch of phonies!
Plus add all that petroleum based energy to make all the high priced fancy stuff (made of petroleum based products) they have in those apartments.
Let’s get fracking! Way cleaner than coal.
Cleaner than Coal??? You better tell George Soros that.http://www.newsmax.com/Finance/StreetTalk/George-Soros-energy-coal-shares/2015/08/18/id/670705/
Also, didn’t Al Gore’s Dad work for Peabody back in the day? Helped them expand into China I believe. Musician (and liberal) John Prine must be fuming since he was inspired to write “Paradise” based on how Peabody’s strip mines and other operations destroyed large tracts of environmentally sensitive lands along Kentucky’s Green River.
This is interesting, and I can’t wait to see how DEC will respond. As propane fracking wasn’t contemplated under the 92 GEIS I would expect that at a minimum the agency will require an EIS.
Thank you for reading our blog and commenting! Good point. Interestingly the SGEIS did anticipate it, though.
Bill
Gas-Frac reduces truck traffic by 70 percent
Gas-Frac does not dissolve the brine therefore no radioactive waste in the drill cuttings
Gas-Frac needs only about a 45 minute flare unlike water fracking
Gas-Frac – is very safe with over 4000 wells only one fire due to a faulty regulator on a pump and there was no propane involved in the fire.
Gas-Frac has no need for waste injection wells
So much more Bill you need to get educated on. Cuomo left this door open for a very good reason but you and your likes wont gt it because your education is indoctrination.
NOT ONE CHEMICAL used in Gas-Frac is carsogenic
Vic,
One thing that never gets discussed is the amount of disturbance a wind farm or solar array causes when it comes to erosion and sediment control when compared to a properly designed drill pad. Now with the use of Gas-Frac and other similar processes, the footprint is even smaller.