Facts About Hydrofracking

FACTS ABOUT HYDROFRACKING AND OUR MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

What is hydrofracking? Hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydro-fracking,” is a drilling method used to recover natural gas deposits contained in New York’s shale formations. It involves injecting millions of gallons of water, sand, and hazardous chemical additives into each well in the shale at extremely high pressure, separating rock fissures and allowing gas to flow out the drill bore.

Why do the NYS Bishops not support hydrofracking? Human Health: Many of the “fracking” chemicals may cause serious health effects at low does and some are endocrine disruptors. Endrocrine disrupters may cause infertility, thyroid disorders, childhood and adult cancers that are linked to fetal exposure to the chemicals. Physicians say that it only takes a small quanity of endocrine-disrupting chemicals to impact human health. One study indicates that 40% of the chemicals used in shale drilling are disruptors.

Water: Because Marcellus shale formations are so deep, millions of gallons of water are required per well and subsequently millions of gallons of contaminated water are produced at each well. While much of the water contamination comes from naturally occurring chlorides, heavy metals and radioactivity, the tens of thousands of gallons of industrial chemicals that make up the “frack” fluids will also need remediation. Gas companies will not disclose the chemicals for “proprietary” reasons. A 2002 EPA study on hydraulic fracturing (in other states) reports that 9 hazardous chemicals were found in frack fluids at levels that exceed national water quality standards. Occurrences of groundwater contamination are mounting, most recently in Dimock, PA, just across the border from New York. 2011 Legislative Agenda, NYS Conference of Catholic Bishops

Catholic Social Teaching How are we to fulfill God’s call to be stewards of creation in an age when we may have the capacity to alter that creation significantly and perhaps irrevocably? How can we, as a family of nations, exercise stewardship in a way that respects and protects the integrity of God’s creation and provides for the common good, as well as economic and social progress based on justice. U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and Common Good, 2001