Technical Considerations for Hydraulic Fracturing and Groundwater Protection
Baseline Testing of Ground Water
- Perform Testing of water wells before oil and gas activity occurs
- Determine quality of ground water
- Identify chemicals currently in the ground water source prior to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing of shale gas plays
The Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone along the Louisiana coast, commonly called the "Dead Zone" has been a well documented problem for decades now. However, the state and federal environmental agencies have failed to take even the most basic regulatory steps to address this problem. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally proposed to add these waters to the official list of impaired waters.
The Relationship between the environment and the economy is positive, that is, improving the environment also improves the economy. States with good environments have better economies than those with polluted environments. For example, between 1988 and 1992 the pollution levels in Louisiana were cut in half because industry spent money to reduce its pollution and, at the same time, 25,000 jobs were created in the manufacturing sector alone. The industry spending was for equipment, so local business did better, and workers were hired to operate the equipment.People and business want to locate in clean environments and not in polluted areas. Once here people start new businesses and expand existing ones. By investing in protecting the environment we are investing in the economy and ultimately in the people of Louisiana
-Paul Templet
Former Secretary of LDEQ
The latest "Watch Lists" available from the EPA are for September and October 2011. In September and October 2001, Louisiana had a total of 51 facilities on the Environmental Protection Agency "Watch List" for violations of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery (hazardous materials) Act.
The Louisiana State Court of Appeal ordered the State Department of Environmental Quality to test the environmental impact of discharges from produced waters from oil and gas production activities within Louisiana territorial waters in the Gulf of Mexico, upholding the position of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) and its attorney Stuart H. Smith that DEQ failed to protect the public from pollution and possible radiation poisoning when it issued oil and gas permits for exploration without proper monitoring of the resultant impact on territorial waters.
