Those who work in New York's oil and gas industry fully understand residents' concerns about possible natural-gas exploration in the Marcellus Shale.
The top concern is the environment, and what assurances they have that it will be protected.
While natural-gas exploration has been conducted safely in New York for decades, the public has been exposed to misinformation by those who are opposed to any drilling whatsoever.
At the center of the debate is the hydraulic fracturing process _ or "fracking" _ associated with vertical and horizontal drilling. How it will impact water quality and quantity is the chief concern.
Many assume this is a new process; in fact, fracking has been used for decades in New York, without incident. Companies that operate in this state have exemplary safety and environmental records.
Fracking involves drilling into a shale deposit and fracturing the rock to release and capture the natural gas that is trapped. This is done under high pressure by injecting a solution of 99.5 percent water and sand directly into the shale through a secure system of steel casings and cement.
The remaining 0.5 percent of the solution contains three primary additives: a friction reducer, similar to canola oil, which thickens the fluid, and a bactericide, like chlorine, which is used the same way chlorine is used in our drinking water.
The fluid also contains a 0.1 percent portion of a micro emulsion element similar to those found in products such as shampoos and cutting oils. All additives, by the way, will be disclosed to the DEC.
It's important to remember that fracking is a highly regulated activity that occurs in a closed system deep in the ground; the water will not come in contact with well water or the fresh water aquifer, which is protected by multiple steel casings and then reinforced with cement.
The water that returns to the surface is collected and trucked away to treatment facilities. The industry is also researching ways to reuse this water in the fracking process.
Regarding the quantity of water this process will use, it is minimal compared to other industries.
The average precipitation in New York is 90 billion gallons per day.
Half of it is returned to the air through evaporation, while 27 to 31 billion gallons per day runs off into the surface waters and flow to the sea.
Fourteen to 18 billion gallons per day seep into the ground and replenish the groundwater supply.
Of the less than 2 percent that is consumed, the major users include the public, which uses 318 million gallons per day.
About 340 million gallons are used in cooling processes during electricity generation.
General industry uses 60 million gallons each day and agriculture consumes 49 million gallons.
It would take 3,500 to 4,000 natural gas wells using the fracking process to consume about 12 million gallons a day.
Even with this exaggerated estimate, the industry would only use 1.7 percent of the total amount of water that is consumed each day in New York.
The industry is fully cognizant of the need to respect the availability of this precious resource, and we agree completely with the current regulatory process in place to ensure our water is protected.
Natural gas exploration will provide enormous economic potential for all of New York, and reduce our nation's independence on foreign energy sources. New York's oil and gas industry is committed to ensuring this exploration in a safe, efficient and environmentally sound manner.
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Gill is president of Earth Energy Consultants and executive director of the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York.
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