NC DENR Revises Scope of N.C. Shale Gas Study Based on Public Comment

Today, officials from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) released changes made to the outline for a study of the potential environmental and economic impacts of shale gas exploration and development in North Carolina based on public comments received in the fall of 2011.

Changes made included:
•    Adding a section specifically dealing with recommendations to the study, to address comments received that the study should add a consideration of whether or not hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, should be permitted under state law. This section will also include recommendations for baseline data collection and any further research necessary;
•    Adding subsections on potential public health impacts in various sections of the study;
•    Adding a section on the potential impacts to the existing local economy (for instance, agriculture and tourism) based on public comments;
•    Expanding the section on stormwater management to include potential impacts of oil and gas production to surface waters;
•    Expanding the air quality section to examine flaring and greenhouse gas emissions; and
•    Adding a section on potential impacts to North Carolina energy consumers.

The NCDENR shale gas webpage provides an overview of shale gas; describes current regulations associated with shale gas exploration; explains how the department will study the issue (and provide study results when complete); and guides the public in how to receive updates on the study, as well as how to provide comment on the issue.

Oil Shale Resources and Fact Sheets

The US Department of Energy (DOE) states on its fossil energy website that “an objective look at [alternatives to petroleum] points to the Nation’s untapped oil shale as a strategically located, long-term source of reliable, affordable, and secure oil.” A task force to develop a program and make recommendations to advance the commercialization of the United States’ strategic unconventional fuel resources, including oil shale was established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  The Strategic Unconventional Fuels Task Force website contains links to educational posters and fact sheets  titled Oil Shale Resources, Oil Shale Economics, Oil Shale and the Environment and Oil Shale Water Resources prepared by the Department of Energy’s Office of Petroleum Reserves.

According to the USGS, the Eocene Green River Formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming contains the largest oil shale deposits in the world and the DOE estimates that U.S. oil shale resources amount to more than 2 trillion barrels.  This energy source is at the bottom of the Resource Triangle because historically it has been cost prohibitive to develop this resource and the associated technology given the lower cost of petroleum.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Oil Shale and Tar Sands resources on lands administered by the BLM in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Their online center for public information contains an About Oil Shale page with general information as well as photos.

The Resource Triangle

I was recently exposed to the “Resource Triangle” during a talk about the future of fossil fuels and thought this visual had educational value in that it conveys the point that unconventional fossil fuels we are hearing more about these days have always been there, but now, thanks to advances in technology and rising energy costs some, like shale gas, are becoming economically viable to extract.

Masters and Gray published the concept of the resource triangle in the late 1970s to show that “oil and gas resources are distributed log normally in nature” just like any other natural resource.  Stephen Holditch, Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A & M University, is credited with keeping this concept alive in today’s publications about oil and gas reserves. For those of you wanting to read more about these resources and get a sense of their abundance and distribution, you may be interested in the a 2009 article titled How technology transfer will expand the development of unconventional gas, worldwide by Holditch and Ayers.  A corresponding presentation (pdf) on this topic is also available and contains a slide of the resource triangle as well as other figures that can be useful in addressing this topic with your students.

The International Association for Drilling Contractors represents the worldwide oil and gas industry.  A 2004 article in their magazine, Drilling Contractor, cites the resource triangle and generally summarizes the various unconventional energy sources, making this a reading suitable for most students.

North Carolina’s Natural Gas Deposits: An Instructional Opportunity

Fred Beyer is a retired educator and science curriculum specialist as well as author who knows NC geology well.  He recently posted this email to NC’s earth science teacher listserv and I asked for his permission to re-post it here:

North Carolina has natural gas deposits in the Sanford Triassic Basin.
During coming months there will be a number of articles in the news
concerning efforts to explore and tap this natural resource. Your students will have questions and you need to have answers. The following web sites have some of the information you will need to develop those answers.

Explore Shale

This site presents the process of drilling and fracking a shale deposit to recover the natural gas trapped in the layers.

Drlling Down Series, The New York Times

This current news series features a number of articles concerning various concerns related to the natural gas exploration process.

As this issue develops in North Carolina you and your students will be exposed to many points of view.  Your task will be to present the available information and help students form their own conclusions.  This issue will present a unique  opportunity to help students:

1. Develop their skills in interpreting information.
2. Separating opinions from facts.
3. Applying scientific reasoning to the information to develop
a conclusion or set of conclusions consistent with the data.

In fact, this may also present an opportunity to educate your students’ parents about how scientific decisions are made.

I suggest you consider begin a collection of articles and other information from which can build an investigatory experience for your students.

Released Today: Duke Report On Shale Gas Extraction in North Carolina

Duke University’s report, Considering Shale Gas Extraction in North Carolina: Lessons from Other States, was released today.  According to the press release, this report (pdf)  “offers several health and environmental measures for North Carolina lawmakers to consider as they debate legalizing horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. “

The researchers cite seven measures that policymakers should consider “to help avoid and mitigate any possible negative effects.

These include:

• Securing baseline data on groundwater prior to shale gas production and at each stage of the drilling process;
• Funding for regulatory programs and an agency to carry them out;
• Planning for withdrawals from area water supplies related to the production;
• Minimizing the risks of spills and contamination caused by equipment failure and human error by implementing safety requirements;
• Thinking through options for the disposal and treatment of wastewater resulting from the hydraulic fracturing process;
• Assessing the impacts on air quality and assure attainment of federal ground-level ozone standards; and
• Requiring some degree of disclosure regarding the chemicals used in fracturing fluid.”

New York Times: Times Topics- Oil Sands

Times Topics is a great resource for teachers seeking news, commentary and archival articles including photos and graphics published in The New York Times about a variety of topics.  Check out their Times Topic on the subject of Oil Sands.

There is also a Times Topic about the Keystone XL Pipeline Project.

From National Geographic: The Canadian Oil Boom

The Canadian Oil Boom, a National Geographic article published in March 2009, includes a photo gallery that depicts the various stages of extracting oil from tar sands in Alberta.  According to the article, the U.S. is Canada’s biggest oil customer, importing more from its neighbor than from any other nation.

PBS Newshour Segment on Keystone XL Pipeline Proposal

The proposed Keystone Pipeline Project provides great material for a class debate or if a debate isn’t possible, you can at least introduce students to this topic and expose them to this issue from diverse perspectives.

This 11 minute PBS Newshour segment provides an overview of the proposed pipeline that would carry oil from Canadian tar sands fields to Texas refineries and introduces viewers to both sides of this controversial project through interviews with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research’s Robert Bryce (for) and environmentalist Bill McKibben (against).

About Tar (Oil) Sands

One unconventional fossil fuel making headlines is tar (oil) sands in light of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project.   In order to prepare your students for contemplating the pros and cons of this controversial project, a good place to start is to introduce them to the energy source  in this story.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Oil Shale and Tar Sands resources on lands administered by the BLM in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Their online center for public information contains an About Tar Sands page with general information as well as photos.

Also, the government of Alberta has devoted a section of its website to Oil Sands including a page titled “About Oil Sands” which contains a visual depiction of the composition of oil sands along with a glossary.

Please share other resources that can be used to introduce students to the basics of tar sands.