Our previous post had some comments on how Bataung is to help us in the energy crisis through coal bed methane mining. It’s already been said that the US, Canada and other states are into the move big time. One thing we failed to mention is that there are some unhappy cats meowing in the alley, mainly around the west in the US — Communities have opened up websites and community blogs on how the coal bed methane developments are upsetting their way of life. This is mainly around rural areas, and if you read the previous blogpost, the coal seams that have been identified by Bataung are around the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and KZN.
So firstly, how is this gas produced? It’s produced from underground coal seams, through a borehole that allows gas and water to be produced at the surface – the volume of water used in this process is enormous. The problem is that in the US the water used is usually underground drinking water. We know that this is also coming into a shortage — SCREEEAMM!!! One magazine that is taking a stand is ORION MAGAZINE. They lament a tale that can be found in good ol’ western songs and movies and it goes something like this:
While the coal bed methane mining brought on good business and much job opportunity, a few demons lurked into the ground — “…each well has to have a road and a pipeline, plus a compressor, probably a sump for the foul liquids that the drilling generates, plus maybe a pump jack, a dehydrator to separate gas from water, and a tank for still more foul liquids that come from the dehydrator once the well is producing” - Orion Magazine
Now our buddies here have to take measures to make sure that these foul liquids don’t find their way into the environment but you know — we’re mortal and there’ll always be a slip here and a slip there. And just what will a little bit of a slip do you dare say? Well let’s just explore that a little…
So in the slip ups we get some of the good stuff into the soil, then the rains come, and they pour down hard, little streams trickle down and carry contaminants to regularly used bodies of water. So what did this cost the ranchers in the west? Livestock drank it — they then aborted, lost hair or died. Not a pretty picture. So that land can’t be used no more, cowboy! Never mind the wildlife that partook of that deadly drink, and have no place else to go . For more on this you can read William deBuy’s article ‘A quirk in the law‘.
Of course, people from the industry say that there is no proof that the pollution described above has ever occurred — but apparently no real investigation has been conducted into the matter either.
In Garfield county, 3200 wells have been made in the past 5yrs and 10 000 more are in the pipeline, that gives one an idea of what the drilling can do to the landscape. In the US this is called “national sacrifice areas” by the government in order to meet the demands of energy from the US populace.
“[In] 2005 Congress passed the Energy Policy Act, which exempts hydraulic fracturing from complying with regulation or water quality monitoring under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the principal tool EPA would have used to regulate it. Current EPA rules concerning flaring allow companies to release hazardous air pollutants like benzene into the air” – Orion Magazine.
In her article, “Voices from the Gas Fields”, Rebecca Clarren comments on some of the labels that are on some of the containers and other surfaces in the gas fields, such as… “Danger! Extremely Flammable. Long term repeated exposure may cause cancer, blood, and nervous system damage. Contains benzene. Overexposure may cause eye, skin, or respiratory irritation or damage, and may cause headaches, dizziness, or other adverse nervous system effects or damage, including death.”
While we may find these warning signs on many containers around our cities, Clarren quotes some residents of the Garfield County, in her article who have developed these symptoms due to poor safety measures from the companies who dig these wells.
So what happens to the wells once the work is done and the band moves on? Well nothing can grow there except weeds. So you see, where there’s angels, there’s demons.
The first two links are about developing methane wells responsibly, then you’ll get your Q&A’s etc.
OTHER LINKS
northern plains resource council
water beyond methane
coal bed methane in south africa
msu bozeman – q&a
orion magazine
mt.gov
energy justice network
right health
