Natural Gas Drilling a Retrospect

Natural Gas Drilling

A Retrospect View on Natural Gas Drilling

Natural Gas Drilling in the United States

The United States of America possessed vast resources of natural gas and was as such able to support most of the demand from internal production. In 2007 for instance, the U.S. natural gas reserves produced an estimated 545.9 billion cubic meters of gas, in a context in which the average consumption per annum was of 652.9 billion cubic meters. Exports of natural gas accounted for 23.28 billion cubic meters and imports totaled 130.3 billion cubic meters; proven reserves of natural gas within the country reach a level of 5.977 trillion cubic meters (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). The amount of natural gas exacted from the national territory is however decreasing.

Rich sources of natural gas are still constituted by the Marcellus Shale formation or the Bradford Field in Pennsylvania. The region has been successfully exploited for years, but recent concerns argue that this might be in the detriment of both environment, as well as local population. In beginning of the twentieth century, Pennsylvania hosted 125 wells and was among the first states to introduce vertical drilling technologies; these had little success at the time (Raymond and Leffler, 2005).

2. Natural Gas Drilling

Natural gas drilling represents the process by which exactors make a hole in the ground using drilling machines in order to retrieve the natural gas. The improved technological process first occurred in Pennsylvania in 1865, with the realization that water and dissolved gas created enough energy to force out the reserves of oil and natural gas so that they could be collected for long periods of time. It was expected that the "crude oil and natural gas would arrive at the surface just like seltzer from a soda fountain" (Raymond and Leffler, 2005). There are three common types of natural gas drilling -- rotary, horizontal and vertical. Rotary drilling was introduced in the early 1900s and saw the circular movement of a sharp object into the ground until it perforated at the desired depth; it is today the most popular method of extracting natural gas.

3. History of Natural Gas Drilling in America

The recollections of natural gas drillings before the nineteenth century are rather scarce as this is the period that saw the commencement of modern oil and gas history. The United States began the modern process of natural gas extraction in the second half of the nineteenth century, when they introduced the first commercial drilling venture in Pennsylvania. At that time, the majority of the demand was for kerosene that would be used in lamps, but the emergence of the automobile lead to the major growth of the oil industry. The extraction of oil and natural gas was heavily tested by the World War I, which stressed on the need to drill for more sources, even outside the country and also, in waters, not just land. The end of the Second World War saw the growth of the natural gas industry into the number one supplier of heat to both industrial commercial as well as residential areas. Additionally, this period also stood for the time the pipeline networks were implemented to ensure easy transmissions between gas producers and consumers (Gallun, Wright, Nichols and Stevenson, 2001). Since then, the operations expanded drastically, in the meaning of both spatial and technological concerns. Today, the industry is facing the challenges of environmental policies, the need to reduce pollution, scarcity of global resources or the integration of the latest technological advancements available within the market. The industry was driven by international forces such as globalization and market liberation and it transcended geographical boundaries.

4. Pros and Cons of Drilling

The matter of drilling to extract natural gas has been highly debated throughout the years, with the dispute being far from exhaustive. A first argument in favor of drilling is given by the efficiency of the mechanism in extracting the source of heath for industrial and individual consumers. The population is in tremendous need for gas in order to support the life style they have become accustomed to. And not only that it maintains the current living standards, it is compulsory for life itself and it is a step forward in improving the current living conditions. Foremost, the limitations of the process will lead to a necessity for more technological innovations, which will in time generate benefits upon the environment.

The counter arguments that could be offered in the detriment of natural gas drilling refer to the fact that the processes exploit, endanger and even destroy the land's natural resources. Excessive drilling destroys the ecosystems and natural habitats in the region, disrupting as such the natural balance of the respective areas. And not only that it has negative effects upon flora and fauna, it also negatively impacts the populations in the respective regions. The people in Dimock, Pennsylvania for instance suffer from persistent diarrhea, stomach aches and vomiting, due to their drinking of the contaminated water, polluted by the drilling operations. Additionally, the water is also drunk by animals, which get sick; foremost, the inhabitants' wells have become flammable through methane release. Dimock is believed to support gas extraction for another one or two decades, but the natural reserves are found at great depths and under massive layers of rocks. This then means that the extractors have to use strong chemicals in order to get to the natural gas. This negatively impacts the health of the environment and the population (Hurdle, 2009).

5. Historical Debates

As mentioned before, the topic of natural gas drilling has raised both disclaimers as well as advocates. A major dispute occurred just last year between Senator John McCain and Senator (at that time) Barack Obama. The latter, with the support of the Democrats, refused to allow drilling operations in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, stating that the endeavor would further jeopardize the stability of the already sensitive region. McCain, backed by the Republicans in the United States Congress, called Obama and his supporters wimps. The argument used by the Republicans was that the Democrats did not care about the fact that the average citizen was now forced to pay so much more for gas than in the past, translating as such in decreased living standards (Baker, 2008).

Another dispute occurs between governmental institutions and natural gas extractors and processors. The federal authorities strive to implement regulations that reduce the negative effects of drilling operations. In this, they impose several restrictions to using outdated technologies or dangerous chemicals. The entrepreneurs argue that they do not possess sufficient resources to constantly update their technologies, or that the market does not present them with less environmentally dangerous substitutes for the chemical compounds they must use in drilling for natural gas. This debate is still ongoing.

The final battle occurs between the natural gas extractors, motivated by the possibility of further increasing their profitability levels, and the local populations on the one side, and environmentalist institutions on the other side. While in some regions, drilling operations were modernized to reduce the negative impacts, in others, extractors still manage to get passed the law and fill their pockets, with the pretext of supporting the population, but with the effect of destroying local environments. Historically, locals and environmental institutions had little hope for a successful outcome in their favor. However, with the growth of the concern for global warming, the international context seems to lean the balance in their favor and to promote a more sustainable model of natural gas drilling.

6. Ethical Issues Surrounding Land Use and Conservation

The focus on the effects of natural gas drilling has exponentially growth throughout the past few years. In order to address these concerns, extractors are obliged to get a permit and send analyses of the effects their operations would have on land use and conservation. In the western regions of the United States, the most severely affected parties are the individuals who own public lands, pay the taxes and have to watch how their forests and other lands are being slaughtered. They are pretty much helpless in the face of the natural gas drilling force, but this is unfair as they own the land and pay taxes for it, yet, they cannot benefit from it. Hunters and fishermen are also impacted as the number of animals and fish significantly decreases. In Pennsylvania for instance, the numbers of mule deer decreased by 46% in only five years.

The focus of land owners and hunters, as well as the local population and environmental agencies is then turned to conservation of the land, which is rather compromised once the drilling operations commence. While the land owners do recognize the importance and side effects of natural gas drillings, the ethical problem revolves around the injustices they have to suffer. In this order of ideas, the contemporaneous endeavors are directed towards an achievement of multiple use of the same land, in the meaning that both extractors and owners can benefit from it (Dentry, 2008).

7. Wells on Indian Reservations

Wells to drilling natural gas are often found on Indian reservations as the respective lands are rich in resources. Historically, debates have emerged based on the undervaluation of the gas extracted, which led to the inhabitants of the region being only limitedly remunerated for the usage of the land and the extraction of the natural gas. The matter has been addressed throughout the years (judiciary trials have even been filed) and the situation is more balanced in the present. Consequently, today, several Indian reservations base much of their economic development on operations of natural gas extraction. The most relevant example in this sense is given by the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, which generates income from leasing lands for gas extraction.

The large majority of the drilling operations were centered in the western part of the reservation, but an agreement signed in January 2009 allows the new processors of natural gas to expand their operations to the eastern side as well. Despite the generalized tendency on a national level to reduce the volumes of drilled gas, the tribe in the Blackfeet Indian Reservation has registered increases in their activities. The new lease was signed between the representatives of the tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and it has a period of five years, during which drillings are to occur on 200,000 acres. The contract will bring the tribe more money and a higher commission that any other previous contracts had brought (Newhouse, 2009).

8. Socio-Economic Conditions in Drilling Regions

It is rather difficult to make a generalized assessment of the social and economic context in the regions rich in reserves of natural gas, mostly since a clear pattern cannot be observed. In support of this statement, one should simply look at the two regions so far presented -- Dimock and the Blackfeel Indian Reservation. Historically, both zones were relatively poor, with high unemployment rates. The Indian tribes were however better able to benefit from the rich land and negotiated better contracts with the extractors. Despite the fact that they were initially underpaid for leasing the land, in time, the situation became more balanced and the economy in the Indian reservation is now primarily based on the income generated from drilling operations.

Starting from a similar standpoint, the people in the Dimock were sadly less fortunate. The social and economic conditions in the region have degenerated throughout the past years and after the closing of the mines, the town's economy suffered a great downfall; they were encountering severe economic challenges even before the commencement of the economic recession, meaning that its effects are more severe in the Pennsylvanian town that in other U.S. regions. In a nutshell then, the socio-economic context of each drilling zone depends directly on the ability of the people to benefit from the land's natural resource, negotiate with extractors, but also on their possessing of other means of economic development. The heavily coal mining town is probably now facing more severe challenges as they overlooked the potential benefits of drilling, when they were focused on achieving sustainable economic growth through mining operations.

9. Success over the Years

The academia and practitioners fail to offer a clear answer to the question regarding the future success of the drilling operations. While some argue that the scarcity of the natural resources will put an end to the operations, others state this argument to be based on the conspiracy theory, and that the resources are in fact sufficient. Then, another set of conflicting arguments sees that the it industry, in collaboration with specialized environmentalists, will come up with alternative sources of energy, which will no longer require the drilling of natural gas. Others however state that, even if this is theoretically possible, it is extremely difficult to achieve and the endeavor will not be completed in the next years. Ultimately then, the answer depends on the personal perceptions of each individual. I, for one, hope in the development of alternative sources of energy and economies to natural resources, but fear that the technologies and the education of the population might come too late.

10. National Gas Drilling Technology and Oil Drilling Technology

Throughout the past years, significant advancements have been made in both natural gas and oil drilling technologies, allowing as such for more efficient operations, with less damaging effects upon the environment. Basically, the two operations use the same technologies in extracting both oil as well as natural gas. The extraction operations are conducted in both scenarios through rotary, horizontal or vertical drilling. Newer technologies include extended reach, multilateral drilling and complex path drilling. The multilateral approach is used when gas and oil are found in numerous underground locations and a pipeline network is built to extract the resources from multiple locations and direct them all in the same drilling rig. Extended reach drilling is similar to horizontal drilling, with the specification that oil and gas are reached even if they are located at further distances. Finally, the complex path technology sees the collection of oil and gas in the same drilling rig when the sources are located in networks revealing twists and turns (American Petroleum Institute, 2009).

11. Conservation or Preservation Issues

In order to answer this question, it is important to understand the difference between the two concepts. Conservation refers to the actual protection of the natural landscape (including forests and animals) in order to ensure that it is not damaged or entirely destroyed. Preservation refers to the desire to restore the original status or highly good conditions within the natural landscape (LDOCE Online, 2009). Given this distinction then, it becomes obvious that the current concern over the effects of drilling operations is aimed at addressing conservation issues. Otherwise put, the desire is for the natural resources to no longer suffer damages. Given that this venture retrieves successful outcomes, a problem of preservation would also be brought to the table, with the intent of further improving the conditions of the lands, the ecosystems and the natural habitats.

12. Water Issues

Concerns over the shortage of fresh water resources have captured the attention of numerous individual and institutional players. The most relevant example in this field is the scarcity of water resources in the Middle East, where wars are expected to break for water, rather than oil. Given this status quo then, the existence of water issues relative to natural gas drilling is only natural. Tests conducted in Wyoming, a land rich in natural gas and drilling wells, concluded that the water contained increased levels of benzene, which, in quantities 1,500 times the safe level for people, can cause anemia and leukemia. The same test indicated that water was being wasted to break down the rocks that prevent drilling teams from reaching the gas. The case in Wyoming is not the single one, but it is of vital importance as it was the first to be documented by the federal authorities. More than 1,000 cases have been documented in Alabama, Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In one situation, a house exploded as the residential water was contaminated with methane (Lustgarten, 2008).

In Dimock, Pennsylvania, the inhabitants are constantly faced with diarrhea, stomach pains that resemble appendix attacks or vomiting. The animals are also getting sick and the number of game has significantly reduced and more threatening, the population's water wells have become flammable due to contamination with methane. Drillers however deny the allegations and argue that groundwater is protected and not affected by chemicals and other materials used in the drilling processes, or by methane. The politicians also seem to take the side of the industry men, by stating that they are extremely rigorous in issuing permits to drill. The water in Dimock has even been tested by the federal authorities, which argued that they did not find anything wrong with it. However, when the sick inhabitants began using bottled water for drinking and cooking, their symptoms went away (Hurdle, 2009).

13. Future Drilling

With the increasing demand and higher levels of natural gas consumption, the tendency is that of expanding the drilling operations to other regions. A first attempt in this instance would revolve around regional expansion in the zones already revealing wells, such as the example of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, where drilling expanded from only west, to also include the eastern parts. Also, it is likely that new regions will be considered for drilling, such as the Sullivan or Cayuga Counties in New York.

References:

Baker, D., August 4, 2008, the Compromise "Drill Anywhere" Plan, Truth Out, http://www.truthout.org/article/the-compromise-drill-anywhere-plan last accessed on March 26, 2009 -- Truth Out is an independent website, supported only the contributions made by their readers. They did not seek the sponsorship of for-profit organization as their focus was on presenting the facts from an objective standpoint and they also wanted to not become associated with any institution. The ultimate aim of the website is to present the readers with extensive information on various topics of interest and as such assist them in making the most adequate decision. The main areas of interest include social progress, environmental concerns, human rights, healthcare or international relations.

Dentry, E., July 22, 2008, Natural Gas Drilling Hurting Land, Rocky Mountain News, http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/22/feverish-natural-gas-drilling-has-wreaked-havoc / last accessed on March 26, 2009 -- Rocky Mountain News is in many ways similar to Truth Out, with the main difference that the first only covers a limited geographic zone -- the area in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains. Their news are organized under eight categories, including general news, business news, sports, entertainment, living, outdoor activities, opinions and multimedia. Ed Dentry's article is featured under the outdoors section, under the subcategory of columns and blogs. The article is a presentation of drilling activities for natural gas from the standpoint of those who suffer the negative consequences. Its findings are reliable as they are based on direct research and his conclusions resemble those of other researchers.