Are there environmental concerns with drilling?
One gas extraction technique, called hydrofracturing uses highly pressurized water to fracture rock formations deep underground. To improve performance, the water is usually mixed with lubricating chemicals. Though water quality problems with gas drilling have been uncommon due to modern regulations, monitoring, and enforcement, gas drilling waste water contamination is a possibility. The New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University cites well pad and access road sediment runoff, groundwater pollution, and stream contamination as legitimate concerns, particularly with Marcellus Shale drilling.
