Entries by FracTracker Alliance

FracTracker Blog and Data Tool for Use in Shale Gas and Oil Plays throughout the Country

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Piloting FracTracker in the Marcellus Shale Region By Conrad (Dan) Volz, DrPH, MPH – Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH); Director, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities; Director, Environmental Health Risk Assessment Certificate Program, GSPH This document explains the fractracker.org web-platform for tracking shale […]

New on the Blog: Data Collection Form

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Due to all of the reports we receive daily about citizens’ experiences with shale gas extraction, CHEC has created an online form that people can use to submit these reports or questions. The information you provide can be anything from a road degradation issue in your municipality, an increase in DUI rates, a spill or […]

Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project

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The Mountain Watershed Association (MWA) is developing a pilot ‘Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project’ in collaboration with the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and other environmentally-focused organizations to increase public awareness of issues associated with developing the Marcellus shale in western Pennsylvania. As part of […]

Core Habitat Biological Diversity Areas Now on FracTracker

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CHEC would like to thank the Western PA Conservancy for allowing their raw GIS data to be published online. The following snapshot was creating by layering two separate datasets: Core Habitat Biological Diversity Areas Marcellus Shale Drilling Permits in PA from 2007 to Aug. 2010 A core habitat area is the essential habitat of the […]

EPA Considers Expanding their Fracturing Study to Include Air Impacts

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may consider including in their hydraulic fracturing study the impacts on air quality that the shale gas extraction process could have. Direct conversations with EPA staff indicate that they plan to conduct a full life cycle analysis and assess greenhouse gas issues, and may also look at air quality in […]

Permitted Wastewater Facilities and the Monongahela River

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During a recent FracTracker training session, CHEC’s director Dr. Conrad Dan Volz used the following maps created with FracTracker’s DataTool to demonstrate the potential impact that additional oil and gas activities in Pennsylvania could have on the state’s watersheds and waterways. The first map you see below shows all of the facilities in PA that […]

Intriguing Article about Shale Gas and Alternative Energy Sources

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Shale gas is considered by many in the industry to be an ideal transition fuel toward renewable energy. This article written in June by Daniel Botkin, professor emeritus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, discusses whether extracting shale gas is worth the risk and also compares the benefits and drawbacks of other energy sources. […]

Gas Well Explosion – Indiana Township, PA

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On Friday a two-year-old shallow gas well exploded in Indiana Township (Allegheny County), PA killing two workers. According to sources, multiple parties are involved in the investigation, including the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Allegheny County fire marshal and Huntley & Huntley Inc., the Monroeville company that employed […]

Public Meetings on Marcellus Shale

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Fellow Pittsburghers – If you are one of the many people interested in the issue of hydraulic fracturing & how it could affect the environment & public health, be sure to attend the following meeting: Thu, July 22, 6pm – 10pm Hilton Garden Inn, 1000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317 The EPA is looking for […]