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calhouner commented on the blog post Fracking Linked to Earthquakes in Ohio; Wells Indefinitely Shut Down
This blog post is inaccurate. The suspected wells are not production gas wells. They are injection wells. Injection wells are gas wells that are no longer in production. Waste haulers bring brine (essentially salt water) that all gas and oil wells produce from natural underground sources and that brine is injected into these wells. This is a normal industry practice and is a vital service in protecting surface water from this kind of pollution.
The wells in Ohio that were shut down have been opened fairly recently (I think 2010) and are probably receiving waste frac water from Marcellus and Utica wells that are being drilled in the region. This waste water does contain dangerous chemicals as well as surfactants used in hydraulic fracturing.
We need a lot more information to know whether there is any kind of connection between increased fault activity and these injection wells. The most important fact we need is the depth of the wells and whether this depth would allow frac water surfactants to increase fault activity.
In Braxton County, WV, near where I live, Chesapeake Energy operates very deep injection wells near fault lines. There has been some increased seismic activity in that area recently.
A lot of people are putting out a lot of misinformation about hydraulic fracturing. I was hoping I wouldn’t find it here at FDL.
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calhouner commented on the blog post Warren: “My Money is on the AG investigation” in Foreclosure Fraud Mess
Are you saying that the first priority for both Congress and the Obama administration (the federal government) isn’t protecting the banks?
Of course state enforcement will be uneven, but a few strong enforcement actions in even a few states will force banks to make broad changes across the entire country.
The Attorney General in WV, my home, is one of the most progressive politicians in the state. I’m sure there are many others like him across the US who will do there jobs, just as there are many hacks in many other states.
I would much rather take my chances at the state level than with the bank-friendly federal government.
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calhouner commented on the blog post Warren: “My Money is on the AG investigation” in Foreclosure Fraud Mess
The new agency is not set up to do the kind of law enforcement work that is required to police foreclosure fraud. Warren would wreck her agency and her political capital in such a futile venture. Commenters who are advocating action by Warren are asking her to destroy her agency before it even starts work.
As she points out, almost all of the law governing these crimes is state law, and federal enforcement is tangential at best.
Involvement of the federal government in almost any form will at some point devolve into cutting a political deal that will end up abrogating state laws. The state Attorneys General are exactly the right people to be prosecuting these crimes.
