How is a Marcellus Shale well drilled?
Drillers buy mineral rights leases from landowners. The driller then begins to drill a well after a permit is approved. Some new shale gas drilling techniques involve slick water fracturing. A nice cocktail of water, sand, and harmful chemicals are sprayed at the shale rock at high pressures in order to fracture the shale. The natural gas is then released and the toxic water is then pumped out of the ground. What residents and state officials fear is that these harmful chemicals will find their way into the aquifer, causing serious water contamination. Not all companies use this slick water fracturing method. Some companies are actually testing air fracturing simulation. This type of drilling would be a great fit for the New York section of the Marcellus Shale! Effect of Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act: Questions have been raised about whether certain specific exemptions or exclusions in federal law prevent the Dep
