"Fracking" in Idaho
What is hydraulic fracturing and why it is something ICL cares about?
What is Fracking?
The recent discovery of natural gas in western Idaho has many Idahoans wondering if their drinking water wells will be protected from contamination. As gas wells are drilled, eager developers propose to pump tens of thousands of gallons of chemicals into the ground to fracture the rock and stimulate the flow of gas to their wells.
These companies want to use a process called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking". Fracking is an engineering technique that injects liquid (gel+sand+water+???) into a well at high pressure to create cracks in deep rock. These cracks allow natural gas to flow more freely into the well.
Do you find those questions marks alarming? We do, too. The trouble with this type of chemical drilling is that it is exempt from many federal laws that protect public health and the environment and, for many years, the liquid contents injected into the wells have been treated as trade secrets by the industry.
Over the last year we have been participating in setting the policy for how injection wells can be used in natural gas activities. Unfortunately Idaho is not willing to take the needed steps to protect groundwater in Idaho.