Snake Oil: How Fracking's False Promise of Plenty Imperils Our Future (17 page)

15. Jon Hurdle, “US Gas Drilling Boom Stirs Water Worries,”
Reuters
, February 25, 2009, http://uk.reuters.com/article/2009/02/25/us-energy-marcellus-idUKTRE51O3L620090225.

16. Philip Doe, “A Must Read Account of Fracking Colorado,”
EcoWatch
(website), March 5, 2013, http://ecowatch.com/2013/must-read-fracking-colorado/.

17. Lisa Song, “First Study of Its Kind Detects 44 Hazardous Air Pollutants at Gas Drilling Sites,”
InsideClimate News
(blog), December 3, 2012, http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20121203/natural-gas-drilling-air-pollution-fracking-colorado-methane-benzene-endocrine-health-NMHC-epa-toxic-chemicals.

18. In West Virginia and parts of Pennsylvania, most landowners do not own subsurface mineral rights and thus have no say in whether their land is drilled.

19. Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, “Fracking and Farmland: What Farmers and Landowners Need to Know About the Risks to Air, Water, and Land,” Fracking Factsheet, September 27, 2011, http://oeffa.org/documents/frackingfactsheetv2.pdf.

20. Ibid.

21. Oswald Bamberger, “Impacts of Gas Drilling on Human and Animal Health,”
New Solutions
22, no.1 (2012): 51–77, doi: 10.2190/NS.22.1.e.

22. Judith Kohler, “Report Says Drilling Threatens Colorado Wildlife,”
Aspen Times
, January 20, 2010, http://www.aspentimes.com/news/1426301-113/regional-leadstories-regionalivg-leadstoriesivg.

23. Katy Dunlap, Eastern Water Project Director, Trout Unlimited,
Shale Gas Production and Water Resources in the Eastern United States
, (testimony, US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water and Power), October 20, 2011, http://www.energy.senate.gov//files/15/39/16/f153916/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File _id=1cbe5c49-aa41-4bec-a6b7-992068c59666. Susan Young, “EPA to Regulate Fracking Waste Water,”
Nature News Blog
, October 21, 2011, http://blogs.nature.com/news/2011/10/us_senate_keeping_an _eye_on_fr.html.

24. Katie M. Keranen et al., “Potentially Induced Earthquakes in Oklahoma, USA: Links Between Wastewater Injection and the 2011 Mw 5.7 Earthquake Sequence,”
Geology
(first published on March 26, 2013), doi: 10.1130/G34045.1. Becky Oskin, “New Mexico Earthquakes Linked to Wastewater Injection,”
Live Science
(website), April 23, 2013, http://www.livescience.com/28983-w-mexico-earthquakes-fracking.html.

25. “Loss of Property Values, Difficulty Getting Mortgages and Home Insurance,”
Save Colorado From Fracking
(website), http://www.savecoloradofromfracking.org/harm/propertyvalues.html.

26. Jeff Abbas, “Farming, Foraging and Fracking: Our Fight Against the Machine,”
Resilience.org
, March 26, 2013, http://www.resilience.org/stories/2013-03-26/farming-foraging-and-fracking-our-fight-against-the-machine. Steve Horn and Trisha Marczak, “Sand Land: Fracking Industry Mining Iowa’s Iconic Sand Bluffs in New Form of Mountaintop Removal,”
DeSmogblog.com
(blog), April 30, 2013, http://desmogblog.com/2013/04/30/sand-land-fracking-industry-mining-iowa-s-iconic-sand-bluffs-new-mountaintop-removal.

27. Dr. Wayne Feyereisn, “Potential Public Health Risks of Silica Sand Mining and Processing,” (presentation hosted by Concerned Citizens for St. Charles, St. Charles, MN), March 7, 2013, http://www.sandpointtimes.com/Potential-Public-Health-Risks-of-Silica-Sand-Mining-and-Processing.htm.

28. US Environmental Protection Agency,
Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks
: 1990–2010, (Washington, DC, April 15, 2012), Energy 3-5, http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2012-Main-Text.pdf. The EPA measured each source of energy by its carbon (C) intensity in comparison to coal.

29. Robert Howarth, Renee Santoro, and Anthony Ingraffea, “Methane and the Greenhouse-Gas Footprint of Natural Gas from Shale Formations,”
Climatic Change
106, no. 4 (June, 2011): 679–690, doi: 10.1007/s10584-011-0061-5.

30. Tom Zeller Jr., “Studies Say Natural Gas Has Its Own Environmental Problems,”
New York Times
, April 11, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/business/energy-environment/12gas.html.

31. Jon Entine, “New York Times Reversal: Cornell University Research Undermines Hysteria Contention That Shale Gas Is ‘Dirty’,”
Forbes
, March 2, 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2012/03/02/new-york-times-reversal-cornell-university-research-undermines-hysteria-contention-that-shale-gas-is-dirty/.

32. Lawrence Cathles et al., “A Commentary On ‘The Greenhouse-Gas Footprint Of Natural Gas In Shale Formations’ by R. W. Howarth, R. Santoro, and Anthony Ingraffea,”
Climatic Change
113, no. 2 (July 2012): 525–535, doi: 10.1007/s10584-011-0333-0.

33. Ramón A. Alvarez et al, “Greater Focus Needed On Methane Leakage From Natural Gas Infrastructure,”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
110, no. 13, (March 11, 2013): 4962–4967, doi:10.1073/pnas.1202407109.

34. David Hughes, “Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Shale Gas Compared to Coal: An Analysis of Two Conflicting Studies,” Post Carbon Institute, July 2011, 16–18, http://www.postcarbon.org/reports/PCI-Hughes-NETL-Cornell-Comparison.pdf.

35. Jeff Tollefson, “Methane Leaks Erode Green Credentials of Natural Gas,”
Nature
493, no. 7430 (January 2, 2013), http://www.nature.com/news/methane-leaks-erode-green-credentials-of-natural-gas-1.12123#/b1.

36. Ian J. Laurenzi and Gilbert R. Jersey, “Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Freshwater Consumption of Marcellus Shale Gas,”
Environmental Science and Technology
47, no. 9 (April 2, 2013): 4896–4903, doi: 10.1021.

37. “EPA Methane Report Further Divides Fracking Camps,” Associated Press, April 28, 2013, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=179638846.

38. Tim McDonnell, “Frackers Are Losing $1.5 Billion Yearly to Leaks,”
Mother Jones,
April 5, 2013, http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2013/04/frackers-are-losing-15-billion-yearly-leaks.

CHAPTER 5

1. “Major CEOs Feeling the Recession... Somewhat,” Associated Press, May 1, 2009, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30501718/#.UZGK6LWkqQs.

2. Christopher Helman, “The Two Sides of Aubrey McClendon, America’s Most Reckless Billionaire,”
Forbes
, October 5, 2011, http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2011/10/05/aubrey-mcclendon-chesapeake-billionaire-wildcatter-shale/.

3. Christopher Swann and Robert Cyran, “Did Chesapeake miss Enron lessons?”
Reuters
, May 22, 2012, http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/05/22/idUKL1E8GMCTB20120522.

4. Christopher Helman, “Here’s What The Analyst Who Uncovered Enron Thinks About Chesapeake,”
Forbes
, June 4, 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2012/06/04/enron-chesapeake-olson/.

5. John Shiffman, Anna Driver, and Brian Grow, “Special Report: the Lavish and Leveraged Life of Aubrey McClendon,”
Reuters
, June 7, 2012, http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/07/us-chesapeake-mcclendon-profile-idINBRE8560IB20120607.

6. Nicholas Sakelaris, “Aubrey McClendon Back in the Game with New Oil/Gas Company,”
Dallas Business Journal
, April 19, 2013, http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2013/04/19/aubrey-mcclendon-back-in-the-game-with.html.

7. “Benefits of Fracking,”
EnergyFromShale
(website), accessed May 13, 2013, http://www.energyfromshale.org/fracking-benefits.

8. Matthew DiLallo, “Can Fracking Benefit Your Community Too?”
Motley Fool
, March 26, 2013, http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/26/can-fracking-benefit-your-community-too.aspx. Alan Bjerga, “Small Towns Find Fracking Brings Boom, Booming Headaches,”
Bloomberg
, March 27, 2013, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-27/small-towns-find-fracking-brings-boom-booming-headaches.html.

9. Stephen Herzenberg, “Drilling Deeper into Job Claims: The Actual Contribution of Marcellus Shale to Pennsylvania Job Growth,” policy brief, Keystone Research Center, June 20, 2011, http://keystoneresearch.org/sites/keystoneresearch.org/files/Drilling-Deeper-into-Jobs-Claims-6-20-2011_0.pdf.

10. Susan Christopherson, “The Economic Consequences of Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction: Key Issues,” Community & Regional Development Initiative, Cornell University,
CaRDI Reports
no. 11 (September 2011), http://www.greenchoices.cornell.edu/downloads/development/marcellus/Marcellus_CaRDI.pdf. See also “Economic Impacts of Fracking,”
Save Colorado from Fracking
, http://www.savecoloradofromfracking.org/harm/economic.html.

11. Tara Lohan, “Resource Curse: Why the Economic Boom That Fracking Promises Will Be a Bust For Most People (Hard Times, USA),”
AlterNet
, March 6, 2013, http://www.alternet.org/hard-times-usa/resource-curse-why-economic-boom-fracking-promises-will-be-bust-most-people-hard. See Susan Christopherson and Ned Rightor, “How Should We Think About the Economic Consequences of Shale Gas Drilling?” http://www.greenchoices.cornell.edu/downloads/development/marcellus/Marcellus_SC _NR.pdf.

12. Deborah Rogers, “Externalities of Shales: Road Damage,”
Energy Policy Forum
(blog), April 1, 2013, http://energypolicyforum.org/2013/04/01/externalities-of-shales-road-damage/.

13. “Increased Crime Rates,”
Save Colorado from Fracking
, modified October 3, 2005, http://www.savecoloradofromfracking.org/harm/index.html.

14. Deborah Rogers, “Shale and Wall Street: Was the Decline in Natural Gas Prices Orchestrated?”
Energy Policy Forum
, February 2013, http://shalebubble.org/wall-street/.

15. Brett Shipp, “Landowners Upset Over Unpaid Royalties in the Barnett Shale,”
WFAA-TV
(website), updated October 26, 2012, http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/Landowners-upset-over-unpaid-royalties-in-the-Barnett-Shale-175868241.html.

16. Andrea Ahles, “DFW Airport Settles Lawsuit with Chesapeake,”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
, September 7, 2012, http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/09/06/4237684/dfw-airport-settles-lawsuit-with.html.

17. Daniel Yergin, Chairman, IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, (testimony, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senate Energy Committee), October 4, 2011, http://press.ihs.com/press-release/energy-power/testimony-daniel-yergin-testimony-senate-energy-and-natural-resources-com.

18. Daniel Yergin (testimony submitted for hearings on
America’s Energy Security and Innovation, Subcommittee on Energy and Power of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
), February 5, 2013, http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF03/20130205/100220/HHRG-113-IF03-Wstate-YerginD-20130205.pdf.

19. “USA: United LNG, Petronet Reach Main Pass Energy Hub Agreement,”
LNG World News
, posted April 25, 2013, http://www.lngworldnews.com/usa-united-lng-petronet-reach-main-pass-energy-hub-agreement/.

20. “US Congressmen Favour Export of Natural Gas to India,”
Hindu Business Line
, April 27, 2013, http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/article4660270.ece.

21. The IEA believes that at a natural gas price of $5 per thousand cubic feet, US utilities will begin switching back to coal. http://business.financialpost.com/2013/05/27/iea-says-u-s-gas-prices-of-us5-could-spur-return-to-coal/?__lsa=f9f8-7e1f.

22. Deborah Rogers, “PA Jobs Numbers Poor in Spite of Marcellus Shale,”
Energy Policy Forum
, February 4, 2013, http://www.frackcheckwv.net/2013/02/11/low-job-count-in-pa-marcellus-shale-development/.

23. Deborah Rogers, “Shale and Wall Street,”
Energy Policy Forum
, February 2013. Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, posted May 8, 2012, http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES1021100001?data_tool=XGtable.

24. Brad Plumer, “The US Oil and Gas Boom Has Had a Modest Economic Impact—So Far,”
Washington Post
, April 23, 2013, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/23/the-oil-and-gas-boom-has-had-a-surprisingly-small-impact-on-the-u-s-economy/.

25. Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Q3 2008 Business Update Call Transcript, October 19, 2008, http://seekingalpha.com/article/100644-chesapeake-energy-corporation-q3-2008-business-update-call-transcript.

26. Deborah Rogers, “Shale and Wall Street,” http://shalebubble.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SWS-report-FINAL.pdf.

27. Matthieu Auzanneau, “Total Production by the Top Five Oil Majors Has Fallen by a Quarter Since 2004,”
The Oil Drum
(blog), April 19, 2013, http://www.theoildrum.com/node/9946.

28. Steve Andrews, “Commentary: Interview with Steven Kopits,”
Peak Oil Review
(April 29, 2013): 6–10
, http://aspousa.org/wp-content/files/por130429.pdf.

29. “ExxonMobil: ‘We’re Losing Our Shirts’,”
gCaptain
(blog), June 27, 2012, http://gcaptain.com/exxonmobil-were-losing-shirts/.

30. Clifford Krauss and Eric Lipton, “After the Boom in Natural Gas,”
New York Times
, October 20, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/21/business/energy-environment/in-a-natural-gas-glut-big-winners-and-losers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=3&. Philip Bump, “Frackers Struggle While Financiers Make Millions. Sounds Familiar.”
Grist
(blog), October 22, 2012, http://grist.org/news/frackers-struggle-while-financiers-make-millions-sounds-familiar/.

31. Deborah Rogers, “Shale and Wall Street,” http://shalebubble.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SWS-report-FINAL.pdf.

CHAPTER 6

1. Chris Nelder, “Are Methane Hydrates Really Going to Change Geopolitics?”
Atlantic
, May 2, 2013, http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/are-methane-hydrates-really-going-to-change-geopolitics/275275/.

2. Charles C. Mann, “Yes, Unconventional Fossil Fuels Are That Big of a Deal,”
Atlantic
, May 7, 2013, http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/yes-unconventional-fossil-fuels-are-that-big-of-a-deal/275616/.