THE FUTURE OF FRACKING - Hydrofracking: What Everyone Needs to Know - page 77

drofracking on public lands in May 2013, environmentalists were dismayed. The
new rules continue to allow energy companies to keep certain fracking chemicals
secret, and allow them to run integrity tests on one representative well rather than
all wells in a gas or oil field.
This ruling may be an indicator of how the Obama administration will regulate
fracking going forward. The new rules were the first significant bit of regulation is-
sued under the new interior secretary, Sally Jewell. (She worked in the oil industry
in the 1970s, and is not afraid to say she fracked a few wells in Oklahoma.) She
told reporters that it is critical for rules to keep up with technology, and that the
federal government will continue to lease large tracts of public and Indian lands for
energy development. 21
What Steps Are Drillers Taking to Conserve Water?
“Water is now emerging as a significant opportunity and risk for oil and gas com-
panies,” said Laura Shenkar, an expert on corporate water strategy at the Artemis
Project consulting firm. 22 In 2012, about 4.5 billion gallons of water were used for
hydraulic fracking. By 2060, that number will spike to some 260 billion gallons,
according to an estimate by Lux Research, a Boston consulting firm that monitors
emerging technologies. 23
As climate change and shifting weather patterns stress water supplies, a lack of
water will impede hydrofracking. During the brutal drought of 2011, Texas regulat-
ors suspended water withdrawal permits in the Eagle Ford Shale, located near San
Antonio. 24 In search of more efficient, sustainable water use, a few companies are
experimenting with using recycled water. One company, Alpha Reclaim Techno-
logy, buys treated effluent from cities and towns in Texas and sells it to drillers in
the Eagle Ford play. 25 Another plan is to develop mobile recycling units that will
treat flowback, then reuse it. Companies in the same region are experimenting with
using brackish water, a common underground resource in Texas. The drawback is
that brackish water contains more salts and other elements, such as boron, which
can harm the drilling process; some brackish reservoirs lie deep and are expensive
to tap. A shallow well in the Eagle Ford play costs about $75,000 to drill, accord-
ing to ConocoPhillips, while a deeper well could cost as much as $1 million. 26