Fracking and Earthquakes

[Sandtrap328]

The USA Today reported today that Kansas and Oklahoma had a series of earthquakes yesterday. It turns out the most probablr cause of the earthquakes there is the fracking in the area. Is fracking worth the earthquake damages?

Also, with the cheaper foreign oil,being sold to the US, will the Texas and Louisiana refiners be willing to process the tar sands into gasoline at a lower price than the foreign oil?

[dengid]

The problem isn't the fracking itself. The disposal of the brine used in the drilling is commonly injected back into old wells under pressure. They know that if this is on a fault it can cause earthquakes. The problem is that they sometimes don't know the injection well is on a fault and thats when you get the boom.

[sunnyatlast]

If only our winter energy generating problems were as "simple" as some think it could be without production methods like fracking, nuclear and coal…….


CL&P Electric Rates To Jump 26 Percent Starting In January

Hartford, CT -- NOVEMBER 7, 2014

The cost of a kilowatt hour will jump 26 percent for Connecticut Light & Power's residential customers starting next year.

The unwelcome spike in electricity generation prices is a direct result of bottlenecks in natural gas pipelines. And although it's little consolation, prices are jumping throughout New England.

Default generation rates, which are developed by CL&P and state officials, will be 12.629 cents per kilowatt hour from Jan. 1 to June 30 for residential customers, up from 9.99 cents per kilowatt hour in the last six months of 2014.

The generation rates pay for the production of electricity at power plants and make up about half of residents' monthly bills. Another major portion of the bill, distribution rates, are also under regulatory review and are expected to increase early next year for CL&P customers….

...Natural gas is cheap, and now more than half of New England's power plants use the fuel. Although all that power from newly inexpensive natural gas should result in lower electricity costs, there is a major problem getting the fuel into the region.

For the past two winters, as homes and businesses use up more and more of the three pipelines feeding New England, there was not enough room for power plants to get their gas, and what little room was left was expensive. Some natural gas plants were unable to get fuel to run, so older and more expensive oil plants were called on to run.

Magnifying the problem, a few large non-gas power plants shut down this year, including the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and the Salem Harbor coal plant, leaving the region with fewer alternatives to the crowded pipelines, said Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association, a power plant industry group.

"It put further strain on a natural gas supply infrastructure that is already tight," Dolan said……"

Electric rates: CL&P Electric Rates To Jump 26% Starting January - Hartford Courant (http://www.courant.com/business/hc-electric-rates-increase-2015-20141107-story.html)

[Villages PL]

The USA Today reported today that Kansas and Oklahoma had a series of earthquakes yesterday. It turns out the most probablr cause of the earthquakes there is the fracking in the area. Is fracking worth the earthquake damages?

Wherever there's a fault line, tension builds up gradually over many years. If the tension is released sooner rather than later the earthquake magnitude will be less. If fracking is releasing this built up tension sooner, with the result being small to moderate earthquakes, it's better than waiting for a bigger one to happen on its own.


Also, with the cheaper foreign oil,being sold to the US, will the Texas and Louisiana refiners be willing to process the tar sands into gasoline at a lower price than the foreign oil?

We will just have to wait and see. Lots of things can happen to raise the price of oil and it often comes as a surprise

[Topspinmo]

I just moved from OKC, IMO fracking increased earthquakes 800 plus % in that area. The big one 5.6 or 5.8 caused damage. Oil companies and state won't admit fracking causes earth quakes if so they most likely would be held responsible for damage to private property. Couse who would guess NATURAL disaster like earth quake not covered on regular insurance policy (thank you Insurance LObbist and state Insurance Commissioner. :pepper2:

My previous home did not have crack in the foundation or structure, but after hundreds of earth quakes they started showing up. IMO oil companies should be held responsible if their methods caused damage 1 mile away or 50. But tax dollars, Lobbist money, oil company profits, Political under the table payoff rule the land whether OK, Kansas, PA ect.... :eclipsee_gold_cup:

[tomwed]

When fracking is done correctly the earth moves.

[gomoho]

When fracking is done correctly the earth moves.

For better or worse?

[Cedwards38]

Let's see if we can frack up the planet. I sure wouldn't want to be our grandchildren, living with all of the ecological problems we'll leave them.

I saw an interesting quote recently:

"If all insects on the face of the earth suddenly disappeared, come back in 100 years and there will be no signs of life.
If all humans on the face of the earth suddenly disappeared, come back in 100 years and all other species will be thriving."

[blueash]

For better or worse?

Pretty sure Tomwed was making a double entendre joke. The good kind of earth move. "I feel the earth move under my feet..."

[TexaninVA]

Let's see if we can frack up the planet. I sure wouldn't want to be our grandchildren, living with all of the ecological problems we'll leave them.

I saw an interesting quote recently:

"If all insects on the face of the earth suddenly disappeared, come back in 100 years and there will be no signs of life.
If all humans on the face of the earth suddenly disappeared, come back in 100 years and all other species will be thriving."

Actually we're leaving our grandkids a whole bunch more problems and vexing challenges than fracking ... but I can't list or discuss them here as my post will get zapped

[Rags123]

Actually we're leaving our grandkids a whole bunch more problems and vexing challenges than fracking ... but I can't list or discuss them here as my post will get zapped

Frustrating for sure as fracking is not even in the top ten or even twenty !!!

[Topspinmo]

Only when the earth moved under your feet, then fracking may bother you. Frack it, not problem for me anymore.

[gomoho]

for better or worse?

duh!