Frackquakes

I have done a bit of thinking about earthquakes and fracking.

As I understand it, the Blackpool earthquakes were a direct result of the fracking process. The surface of the well hole was exposed to liquid under high pressure.

In this country, earthquakes in Arkansas and Ohio happened near fracking-liquid disposal pits. Since these pits are extremely deep, there is a high hydrostatic pressure on the pit wall.

In both cases, if a hole is drilled that intersects a geological fault, there is the possibility that liquid will be forced into the fault. Under these conditions, the fault can be unlocked and lubricated by the liquid, particularly if it is a shear fault.

This idea is so simple, that I would be surprised if it hasn't been suggested before.

ADDED 19 Dec 2011 - It has been suggested; see Wikipedia

Renewables vs. Industry Electricity Cost

The data below show that there is no relation between the percent of renewables and the cost of electricity for industry.

State	Industrial Cost, cents/kWh (a)	Renewable Electricity, % (b)
Illinois	7.5 (10)	1.9
Indiana	5.74 (4)	1.9
Iowa	5.33 (2)	16.5
Kentucky	4.98 (1)	4.1
Michigan	7.2 (9)	3.9
Minnesota	6.3 (7)	14.4
Missouri	5.46 (3)	2.7
Ohio	6.06 (6)	0.9
West Virginia	5.78 (5)	3.4
Wisconsin	6.74 (8)	6.2

(a) electricchoice.com; numbers in parentheses rank from cheapest to most expensive

(b) US Energy Information Administration; State Renewable Energy Profiles; 2009 data (latest available)

ENERGY LOSSES IN THE US AND OHIO

Two main sources account for almost ¾ of the energy lost in Ohio:

Electric power plants, which are 32 % efficient, account for 40 %

Vehicles, i.e. autos , which are 25 % efficient account for 25 %

Electric power plants produce half of Ohio's greenhouse gas and vehicles produce about one quarter.

Data for the entire country are similar.

Source: LLNL documents: Estimated US (Ohio) energy Use and Estimated US (Ohio) Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Life After High School

I attended MIT and wound up with an ScD degree in Metallurgy, specializing in deformation and fracture. In 1960, I married Peg Young, who grew up in Iowa and was working at Harvard. Then, fifty years ago we, and our baby daughter Ann, spent a year in Liverpool, where I worked at the University. Arriving back in the US, I took a job at Battelle Memorial Institute here in Columbus. Our son, Joel, was born here in 1964. The family had another stretch in England, when I worked a Summer at the Open University. After retirement in 1994, I took up several activities, including genealogy and teaching people how to use the internet. Currently I am energy Specialist (Lobbyist) for the League of Women Voters of Ohio and Membership Chair of our suburban Library Friends group.

Peg is Election Specialist for the League of Women Voters. Ann lives in Toronto with our two teen-age grandchildren. She is head of the fund-raising arm of the Wood Green Foundation. Joel and Julie Olsen live in Park City Utah, where he telecommutes for the company that makes Magic Jack.

Fracking Letter to the Editor

The Columbus Dispatch declined to publish this:

"Your article on May 8 about the proposed legislation oil and gas drilling on State parks was very timely. It showed that the quarrel is about a small potential gain in the Budget. But there is also the concern for the health and safety consequences of drilling. Pennsylvania is the current focus of development and many accidents have occurred, including a gas-well blowout in Moshannon State Forest. Right now Ohio is on the fringe of drilling. But there has already been an explosion in Geauga County; a house was blown off of its foundation and drinking water was contaminated. Adding to the problem is a new technique called horizontal fracking, which allows one well to do the job of twenty (and cause twenty times the damage when an accident occurs). Because of its greater efficiency, horizontal fracking is called a game changer by drilling advocates. My fear is that the game will change from shuffleboard to demolition derby."

OHIO COAL IMPORTS

Ohio imports about 45 % of its coal (I've seen higher numbers, but this is a back-of-the envelope calculation) or about 24*10^6 tons per year (National Mining Assn.). At $40/Ton (EIA – Coal Prices and Outlook), we spend about one billion dollars annually on this coal. Since power plants are very inefficient, about 2/3 of this coal winds up as heat and as pollution spewing up the chimney. In other words, we waste over 600 million dollars per year on this imported damage to our pocketbooks and lungs.

EXAMPLE PRESS RELAEASE

(Previous Post 22 June 2011)

For Immediate Release

RIDE FOR TAX RELIEF PLANNED

The plain fact of the matter is that taxes are too high in Coventry. The poor are starving while the nobles are feasting on the fat of the land.

Many have been asking 'What can we do to relieve ourselves of this burden?'. Sadly, the only person who can help is good King Ethelred. But he is as-yet unready to act. He needs to be shown that the good people of Coventry are solidly behind tax relief.

Our own Lady Godiva has decided to arouse our people to action. She will ride her horse from the Cathedral to the Chapel at mid-day on St. Swithin's Day next. To show her solidarity with the poor, she will not wear her luxurious vestments. If enough people come to observe the ride, King Ethelred will get the message.

For further information contact Piers Ploughman at the Sign of the Unicorn.

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