Against Fracking in Monterey County

HCOM 266Presented by:

Ashley StoutDuce BellKerry KelvasSophie Snow

Lesson Plan:

- Identify what Fracking is.- Weigh the Pros and Cons.- Examine key factors (The Good,The Bad & The

Ugly).- Look at Fracking globally.- Explain our position (Fracking in Monterey).- Explore Alternatives.- Political Action and Goals.- Debrief.

What is Fracking?Hydraulic Fracturing, or “Fracking”, is a well stimulation process designed to extract oil, gas, geothermal energy, or even water.

The Process:

1. A well is drilled vertically to the desired depth, then turns ninety degrees and continues

horizontally for several thousand feet into the shale believed to contain the trapped natural gas.

2. A mix of water, sand, and various chemicals is pumped into the well at high pressure in order to

create fissures in the shale through which the gas can escape.

3. Natural gas escapes through the fissures and is drawn back up the well to the surface, where it

is processed, refined, and shipped to market.

4. Wastewater (also called "flowback water" or "produced water") returns to the surface after the

fracking process is completed.

Background:

Timeline

The Good:● There is an abundant amount of natural gases in the shale rock,

enough to keep America’s oil supply stable:less dependence on other foreign energy resources. Overall, it’s cheaper.

2012: 40%

2013: 33%

The Bad

● Over 600 chemicals used in process, these chemicals are contaminating water and air.

o Water in people’s homes near frack sites becomes flammable.o Uses a lot of water.(5 million gallons per well)

o Methane released during fracking contributes to global warming (it’s 25x more likely to trap heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide

and at least 4 to 8% of it is released each frack) o One Colorado study counted 77 fracking wastewater spills that impacted

groundwater supplies, of which 90 percent were contaminated with unsafe levels of benzene.

LeadMercury

EthyleneGlycol

RadiumUranium

Hydrochloric acid Formaldehyde

Benzene

Arsenic

The Bad (Continued)

● Endangers Citizenso Workers:

2014, one worker died, and two were injured at a fracking site. 2013: 138 reported deaths on fracking sites From 2008-2012, there was a total of 545 deaths at oil-drilling and

fracking sites.o Residents:

Contaminates their drinking water. Inhaling toxins released into the air. People that live near fracking wells have reported skin problems,

dizziness, troubled breathing, nosebleeds, headaches, nausea.

The Ugly:

Fraccidents

Countries Where Fracking Is Banned:

Celebrities and Fracking:

Fracking in California:● California is the third hottest state for producing oil

behind Texas (1), and North Dakota (2).

● Colusa, Glenn, Kern, Los Angeles, Monterey, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, Sutter, Kings and Ventura. Oil companies have also fracked offshore wells hundreds of times in the ocean near California’s coast, from Seal Beach to the Santa Barbara Channel.

● In Kern County, California’s major oil-producing county, 50 percent to 60 percent of new oil wells are fracked, according to estimates by Halliburton. And fracking may have been done elsewhere in California, since state officials haven’t monitored or tracked the practice until recently.

Fracking in Monterey County

● Monterey Shale is organically rich, and widespread.o Spreads all the way to the L.A. Basin/ Long Beach/ South California being 3,000

feet deep.

● September 2014: Monterey County’s Board of Supervisors meeting in Salinas to discuss the county’s fracking.o Meeting again July 2015

● Fracking in Monterey threatens:o California Condorso Kelp Forests

Fracking Vs. Other Methods:

- Hydroelectric power

- Biodiesel- Wind Energy - Hydrogen Fuel- Solar Energy- Soft Coal

Compression

Political Action:

Californians Against Fracking

Monterey County Against Fracking

Debrief:

Quiz:1. Define Fracking.2. Describe one step of the Fracking Process.3. What County in CA(other than Monterey) has Fracking wells?4. Name an alternative.5. Who created Gaslands 1 & 2?

Questions or Comments

Resourceshttp://www.cleanwateraction.org/page/fracking-processhttp://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulicfracturing/wells_hydrowhat.cfmhttp://aoghs.org/technology/hydraulic-fracturing/http://oberlinheadwaters.com/?p=251http://keeptapwatersafe.org/global-bans-on-fracking/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/celebrity-fracking-video_n_4304689.htmlhttp://www.fracfocus.org/