Fracking Infrastructure
Explore our site’s various articles and maps about the infrastructure impacts and considerations associated with oil and gas development.
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- Compressor Stations – A machine that raises the pressure of a gas by drawing in low pressure gas and discharging it at significantly higher pressures. These facilities enable natural gas to flow through pipelines.
- Pipelines- In the United States, there’s an estimated 3 million miles of pipelines transporting crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas liquids, and gas from fracking wells and cryogenic facilities to processors & then eventually to consumers. Pipelines include distribution lines that take gas to residents and other consumers, as well as transmission and gathering lines which bring fossil fuels from well sites to processing facilities and distant markets.
- Wells – “Fracking” wells are drilled thousands of feet into the ground to reach a target oil or gas reservoir. The well then turns horizontally to intersect and remain within the reservoir (e.g. shale layer) for distances that can reach over three miles in length. A mixture of water, sand and chemicals are injected into the well at extremely high pressures, and explode out of the well bore to crack open the shale rock, releasing oil and gas.
Other infrastructure includes Class II wells (which include wastewater disposal wells, enhanced oil recovery wells, and hydrocarbon storage wells), cryogenic facilities, frac sand mines, fractionation facilities, petrochemical facilities, power plants and stations, processing plants, pumping stations, and storage facilities.
Oil & Gas 101
For more information on the function of these infrastructure, see FracTracker’s Oil & Gas 101 guides.
Take Action in Support of No New Leases
/by Erica JacksonThe federal government is accepting comments on a 5-Year Offshore Oil and Gas Lease Program. We need your voice to join in solidarity with communities in the Gulf and the Arctic and call for no new leases.
Carbon Capture and Storage: Developments in the Law of Pore Space in North Dakota
/by Guest AuthorThe interplay between the rights of the owner of the surface estate and the rights of the mineral estate have recently become the subject of both legislation and litigation as the use of subsurface pore space by various energy industries has developed at an increasingly rapid pace in North Dakota.
Carbon Capture and Storage: Industry Connections and Community Impacts
/by Ted Auch, PhDIndustries that stand to capitalize on the proliferation of carbon capture and storage are aggressively pursuing its development despite its wide-ranging risks and diminishing returns for communities across the U.S.
Carbon Capture and Storage: Fact or Fiction?
/by Ted Auch, PhDExtractive industry uses propaganda to protect private profits at the expense of the public interest. According to the evidence, there is reason to believe that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one such scheme.
Pipeline Right-of-Ways: Making the Connection between Forest Fragmentation and the Spread of Lyme Disease in Southwestern Pennsylvania
/by FracTracker AllianceWhile many ecological factors may contribute to the spread of Lyme disease, two of the most significant factors are believed to be climate change and forest fragmentation. This study assesses the role that different pipeline construction proxies play in the change in average annual Lyme disease rate in Pennsylvania counties from 2001 to 2019.
FracTracker Finds Widespread Hydrocarbon Emissions from Active & Idle Oil and Gas Wells and Infrastructure in California
/by Kyle Ferrar, MPHFracTracker inspections of oil and gas infrastructure using an optical gas imaging camera found numerous sources of uncontrolled emissions in three California counties.
California Regulators Approve More Oil Well Permits Amid a Crisis of Leaking Oil Wells that Should be Plugged
/by Kyle Ferrar, MPHFracTracker’s in-the-field inspections and updated analysis of CalGEM permit data shows that California’s regulatory practices and permitting policies risk exposing frontline communities to VOCs from oil and gas well sites.
An Insider Take on the Appalachian Hydrogen & CCUS Conference
/by Guest AuthorReflections on the Appalachian Hydrogen and Carbon Capture conference, and how companies hope to use new tech to prolong fossil fuel dependence
Does Hydrogen Have a Role in our Energy Future?
/by Matt Kelso, BAThere has been increasing focus on using hydrogen gas as a fuel, but most hydrogen is currently formed from methane, which could lead to more fracking.
Oil and Gas Brine in Ohio
/by Guest AuthorA hazardous byproduct of oil & gas operations, called “brine,” poses a problem because of its radioactivity and the volumes produced.
PA Environment Digest Blog: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Dispose Of Drill Cuttings By ‘Dusting’
/by Guest AuthorDavid Hess reports on the pervasive & dangerous practice of waste disposal at oil and gas well drilling sites via “dusting.”
Real Talk on Pipelines
/by Ted Auch, PhDThis story map contains audio clips and quotes from local officials and residents on the impacts of oil & gas pipelines in their communities.
2021 Production from Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Wells
/by Matt Kelso, BAFracTracker has released an analysis of Pennsylvania’s 2021 oil and gas production totals and the impacts of orphaned and abandoned wells.
Mapping Energy Systems Impacted by the Russia-Ukraine War
/by FracTracker AllianceThis story map explores how the West’s failure to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is funding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Dimock residents working to protect water from a new threat: fracking waste
/by Erica JacksonSen. Muth and Dimock, PA residents are fighting a permitted Eureka Resource Susquehanna facility that puts their water at risk.
Implications of a 3,200-foot Setback in California
/by Kyle Ferrar, MPHCalifornia is the only major oil state without a health and safety setback from fossil fuel activity. This article explores what a setback in California means for its people and environment.
New Trends in Drilling Permit Approvals Take Shape in CA
/by Kyle Ferrar, MPHFracTracker’s recent analysis finds that California’s drilling permit approvals have slowed since last October, but not across the board. This trend only applies to permits for new drilling and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) wells.
Oil and Gas Drilling in California Legislative Districts
/by Kyle Ferrar, MPHFracTracker has been working with grassroots organizations to inform legislators and locals about oil and gas extraction in their districts, including maps and tables of the infrastructure in their areas.