Safer Alternatives for Natural Gas Exploration and Development
As part of our Creation care advocacy, MMA recently co-filed a shareholder resolution at EOG Resources, calling for a report on the environmental impact of EOG’s hydraulic fracturing operations and potential policies for the company to adopt - above and beyond regulatory requirements - to reduce or eliminate hazards to air, water, and soil quality from fracturing.
EOG Resources is a major natural gas company and has significant gas reserves that require unconventional production techniques to recover. Unconventional production of natural gas requires hydraulic fracturing, which injects a mix of water, chemicals and particles underground to create fractures through which gas can flow for collection. A government-industry study estimates that 60-80% of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing.
Fracturing operations can have significant impacts on surrounding communities including the potential for increased incidents of toxic spills from waste water ponds, impacts to local water quantity and quality, and degradation of air quality. Government officials in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Colorado have documented methane gas in drinking water, linked to fracturing operations.
MMA believes hydraulic drilling activities increase the potential for reputational damage and vulnerability to litigation, and weak and uneven regulatory controls necessitate that companies go above and beyond regulatory requirements to reduce environmental hazards and protect their own long-term interests.
MMA and the other filers of the resolution believe the policies explored by the proposed report should include, among other things, the use of less toxic fracturing fluids, recycling or reuse of waste fluids and other structural or procedural strategies to reduce fracturing hazards.
