Risks to biodiversity from hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica shales

Kiviat, Erik

doi:10.1111/nyas.12146

Cited by 68 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 119 publications

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“…Although the mechanisms are unclear, Hill (2012) finds significant impacts of shale gas extraction on the birth weight of children born in nearby homes. Additional environmental costs have been identified as concerns such as seismicity (Frohlich, 2012), forest loss and fragmentation (Drohan et al, 2012), and ecosystem services and local biodiversity (Evans and Kiesecker, 2014;Kiviat, 2013). For additional details regarding environmental and social impacts of SGD, please refer to Table A2 in the online appendix.…”

Section: Costsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Valuation of expectations: A hedonic study of shale gas development and New York’s moratorium

Boslett

Guilfoos

Lang

2016

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management

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This paper examines the local impacts of shale gas development (SGD). We use a hedonic framework and exploit a discrete change in expectations about SGD caused by the New York State moratorium on hydraulic fracturing. Our research design combines difference-indifferences and border discontinuity, as well as underlying shale geology, on properties in Pennsylvania and New York. Results suggest that New York properties that were most likely to experience both the financial benefits and environmental consequences of SGD dropped in value 23% as a result of the moratorium, which under certain assumptions indicates a large and positive net valuation of SGD.

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Section: Costsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Valuation of expectations: A hedonic study of shale gas development and New York’s moratorium

Boslett

Guilfoos

Lang

2016

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management

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“…The occurrence in the Louisiana Waterthrush of contaminants associated with fracking has general implications for wildlife and human health, as many of the potential contaminants introduced in the fracking process should not be ingested at any concentration (Colburn et al 2011, Kiviat 2013, Souther et al 2014. A better understanding, however, of gas migration processes and potential pathways of contamination is required.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence from two shale regions that a riparian songbird accumulates metals associated with hydraulic fracturing

Latta¹,

Marshall²,

Frantz

et al. 2015

Ecosphere

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Abstract. The risk of contamination of surface waters from hydraulic fracturing activities (i.e., fracking) to extract gas from underground shale formations has been viewed primarily in the context of localized point-source events such as spills with no evidence of contaminants entering food chains. We showed that in watersheds where hydraulic fracturing occurs, an obligate riparian songbird and top predator in headwater systems, the Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), accumulated metals associated with the fracking process. In both the Marcellus and Fayetteville shale regions, barium and strontium were found at significantly higher levels in feathers of birds in sites with fracking activity than at sites without fracking.The question of what pathway these metals followed from the shale layers to enter the food chain was not resolved by this study, but our data suggested a recent origin for these metals in the riparian systems we studied because levels of barium and strontium in feather samples from reference sites in the Marcellus Region without fracking activity did not differ from historical samples of waterthrush feathers gathered prior to any fracking in the region. Our finding of similarly elevated levels of metals associated with fracking in two geographically distant shale formations suggests hydraulic fracturing may be contaminating surface waters and underscores the need for additional monitoring and study to further assess ecological and human health risks posed by the increasingly widespread development of unconventional sources of natural gas around the world.

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“…Reducing well pad density can be accomplished by increasing the number of wells per pad, and/or by elongating the laterals (Kiviat, 2013).…”

Section: Policy Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of policies to reduce core forest fragmentation from Marcellus shale development in Pennsylvania

Abrahams

Griffin

Matthews

2015

Ecological Indicators

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a b s t r a c tMarcellus Shale development is occurring rapidly and relatively unconstrained across Pennsylvania (PA). Through 2013, over 7400 unconventional wells had been drilled in the Commonwealth. Well pads, access roads, and gathering lines fragment forestland resulting in irreversible alterations to the forest ecosystem. Changes in forest quantity, composition, and structural pattern can result in increased predation, brood parasitism, altered light, wind, and noise intensity, and spread of invasive species. These fragmentation effects pose a risk to PA's rich biodiversity. This study projects the structure of future alternative pathways for Marcellus shale development and quantifies the potential ecological impact of future drilling using a core forest region of Bradford County, PA. Modeling presented here suggests that future development could cause the level of fragmentation in the study area to more than double throughout the lifetime of gas development. Specifically, gathering lines are responsible for approximately 94% of the incremental fragmentation in the core forest study region. However, by requiring gathering lines to follow pre-existing road routes in forested regions, shale resources can be exploited to their full potential, while essentially preventing any further fragmentation from occurring across the core forested landscape of Bradford County. In the study region, assuming an estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) of 1-3 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per well, this policy could be implemented for a minimal incremental economic investment of approximately $0.005-$0.02 per Mcf of natural gas produced over the modeled traditional gathering line development.

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Risks to biodiversity from hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica shales

Cited by 68 publications

References 119 publications

Valuation of expectations: A hedonic study of shale gas development and New York’s moratorium

Valuation of expectations: A hedonic study of shale gas development and New York’s moratorium

Evidence from two shale regions that a riparian songbird accumulates metals associated with hydraulic fracturing

Assessment of policies to reduce core forest fragmentation from Marcellus shale development in Pennsylvania

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