Wastewater Disposal is Booming in Ohio Amid Concerns of Environmental Groups
From Midwest Energy News:
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!
Follow @EnergyNewsBlog
The oil and gas boom made possible by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, of horizontal wells has also led to dramatic growth in Ohio’s injection well disposal industry.
The state now has more than 200 active injection wells for oil and gas waste, as shown on an updated mapreleased this month by theOhio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Over 16 million barrels of wastewater were pumped into Ohio rock formations in 2013 — an increase of more than 2 million barrels from the previous year. In the oil and gas industry one barrel equals 42 gallons.
In contrast, only seven injection wells were active in neighboring Pennsylvania, which sends millions of gallons of its fracked wells’ wastewater to Ohio.
Besides bringing in revenue for companies, the growing industry produced nearly $2 million in fees for ODNR last year. According to agency spokesperson Mark Bruce, that money supports the agency’s regulatory program. Yet environmental groups have questions and concerns.Read the entire article here.
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!
Follow @EnergyNewsBlog