e360 digest

09 Mar 2012: Some Shale Formations
Impervious To Fracking, CEO Says

Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson says that a drilling method that has made vast natural gas resources accessible across the U.S. has been unable to crack some shale rock formations in Europe and China. Speaking to energy analysts, Tillerson said two attempts to tap gas-rich shale fields in Poland through hydraulic fracturing techniques have been unsuccessful despite the use of high-pressure torrents of water and sand. The drilling technique, also known as fracking, involves blasting a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals deep underground to shatter shale formations and free natural gas trapped within. “Some of the shales don’t respond as well to hydraulic fracturing,” Tillerson told reporters, according to Bloomberg News. “It’s going to take research and time in the lab to understand that.” Tillerson said some shale formations in the U.S. have also been impervious to fracking, and that the company is studying whether the use of different fluids or pumping techniques will make a difference. The rapid spread of the drilling technique has caused increasing concern among environmentalists and some local residents, who contend it may pollute local water supplies.

Recommend

Stumble Upon

Digg

In U.S., the Lure of Export May Further Fuel Natural Gas Boom

Tar Sands Oil Boom Drives Push for A Northern Pipeline

Natural Gas and Its Role In the U.S. Energy Endgame

In Arid South African Lands, Fracking Controversy Emerges

As Alberta’s Tar Sands Boom, Foes Target Project’s Lifelines

Forum: Just How Safe Is ‘Fracking’ of Natural Gas?

Yale Environment 360 is
a publication of the
Yale School of Forestry
& Environmental Studies.

Twitter: YaleE360
e360 on Facebook
Donate to e360
View mobile site
Bookmark
Share e360
Email newsletter
Subscribe to our feed:

About e360
Contact
Submission Guidelines
Reprints

South African photojournalist Adam Welz documents the harrowing relocation of six white rhinos to a region that has lost all its rhinos to poaching. View the gallery.

Opinion
Reports
Analysis
Interviews
e360 Digest
Podcasts
Video Reports

Biodiversity
Business & Innovation
Climate
Energy
Forests
Oceans
Policy & Politics
Pollution & Health
Science & Technology
Sustainability
Urbanization
Water

Antarctica and the Arctic
Africa
Asia
Australia
Central & South America
Europe
Middle East
North America

A Yale Environment 360 video explores Ecuador’s threatened Yasuni Biosphere Reserve with scientists inventorying its stunning forests and wildlife. Watch the video.

The latest
from Yale
Environment 360 is now available for mobile devices at e360.yale.edu/mobile.

In a Yale Environment 360 video, photographer Pete McBride documents how increasing water demands have transformed the Colorado River, the lifeblood of the arid Southwest. Watch the video.

Top Image: aerial view of Iceland. © Google & TerraMetrics.

The Warriors of Qiugang, a Yale Environment 360 video that chronicles the story of a Chinese village’s fight against a polluting chemical plant, was nominated for a 2011 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Watch the video.

Centre for Science and Environment

Environmental Health News

Environmental News Network