Entries by Circle of Blue

Is New York’s Marcellus Shale Too Hot to Handle?

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By Abrahm Lustgarten ProPublica As New York gears up for a massive expansion of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, state officials have made a potentially troubling discovery about the wastewater created by the process: It’s radioactive. And they have yet to say how they’ll deal with it. The information comes from New York’s Department […]

New York Drilling Study a Step Forward

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By Abrahm Lustgarten ProPublica New York’s recently released review of the environmental risks (PDF) posed by natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale offers the clearest picture yet of the chemicals used in the drilling process called hydraulic fracturing. The document makes public the names of 260 chemicals, more than eight times as many as […]

With Natural Gas Drilling Boom, Pennsylvania Faces an Onslaught of Wastewater

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By Joaquin Sapien ProPublica Workers at a steel mill and a power plant were the first to notice something strange about the Monongahela River last summer. The water that U.S. Steel and Allegheny Energy used to power their plants contained so much salty sediment that it was corroding their machinery. Nearby residents saw something odd, […]

Gas Execs Call for Disclosure of Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing

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By Abrahm Lustgarten ProPublica Two prominent gas industry executives have directly addressed one of the key environmental concerns surrounding the expansion of natural gas development by calling for the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. The statements – made last week by Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon and Range Resources CEO John Pinkerton – […]

Brett Walton: Reporter

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Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: […]

New York State Paves Way for Gas Drilling With Release of Environmental Review

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By Abrahm Lustgarten, Joaquin Sapien, and Sabrina Shankman ProPublica A long-anticipated draft environmental review laying out proposed laws for natural gas drilling in New York’s Marcellus Shale has been released by the state after 18 months of study and several delays. State officials say the guidelines, which are 809 pages long and extremely detailed, address […]

Map: Oil Pipelines and Vegetation in the Niger Delta

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Nigeria has been pumping vast amounts of oil since the 1950s. This map shows the oil fields, pipelines, and terminals in relation to the Niger Delta’s main cities and its differing types of vegetation, from swamplands to rainforests.

Pennsylvania Orders Cabot Oil and Gas to Stop Fracturing in Troubled County

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By Abrahm Lustgarten ProPublica After three chemical spills in the past nine days, and following a history of environmental problems over the last year, Pennsylvania officials have ordered Cabot Oil and Gas, one of the most active natural gas companies in the state, to stop its hydraulic fracturing operations in Susquehanna County pending an intensive […]

EPA: Chemicals Found in Wyoming Drinking Water Might Be From Fracking

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By Abrahm Lustgarten ProPublica Federal environment officials investigating drinking water contamination near the ranching town of Pavillion, Wyoming have found that at least three water wells contain a chemical used in the natural gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing. Scientists also found traces of other contaminants, including oil, gas or metals, in 11 of 39 […]