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The bill would roll back a decades-old ban on drilling laterallyand flushing chemicals underground – the two main componentsof natural gas exploration in shale rock formations. Fracking isindustry shorthand for hydraulic fracturing of underground rockwith millions of gallons of water and chemicals pumped at highpressure. Rep. Mike Hager, a Republican representing Rutherford and Clevelandcounties, said the fracking legislation, known as the Clean Energyand Economic Security Act, could get a hearing before the HouseEnvironment Committee as early as Tuesday, with a full House voteon the following day, or possibly the following week. Hager said the amount of natural gas the state contains in itsTriassic Basins is not a big concern. "That's not a pertinent piece of information,"Hager said. "We're there to set up a regulatoryenvironment and environmental constraints as to what drillingcompanies can and can't do. I don't see that it'sour job to ascertain what the commercial viability is of the shalegas." Drilling is years away The bill would task a Mining & Energy Commission with the creationof regulations to govern such practices as drilling, fracking,well-water testing, wastewater disposal and air emissions. It wouldalso create safeguards for landowners whose properties becomestaging grounds for derricks, well pads, pipelines and compressorstations. The emotional Senate debate last week pitted Democratic opponents,who cited potential risks to public safety and the environment,against the Republican majority, which lauded the potentialeconomic and social benefits of an affordable, domestic energyresource to offset dirty coal and imported oil. The regulations are expected to take two to three years to completeand will require separate approval from the state legislaturebefore energy companies could begin drilling. The U.S. Geological Survey said last week that this state'sestimated natural gas potential is nearly 1.7 trillion cubic feetof natural gas in the Deep River Basin. The basin spans about 1,250square miles and extends from Durham to the South Carolina border. This projection comes out to less than 2 million cubic feet of gasper acre. By contrast, an earlier state estimate by stategeologists projected about 5.2 million cubic feet per acre –about 2-1/2 times more concentrated – but in a much smallerarea. State geologists had previously estimated about 309 billion cubicfeet of natural gas in a 92-square-mile area in Lee, Chatham andMoore counties known as the Sanford sub-basin. This is a formercoal-mining region that is thought to contain the most promisingnatural gas deposits. Gas isn't everywhere But not every part of that area is gas-rich. Federal officialsbased their estimate on eight test wells drilled in that areabetween 1974 and 1998, some producing negligible results and onewell in Lee County completely missing the shale formation. State geologists, on the other hand, extrapolated from the twovertical wells that registered the strongest presence of gas. Thosetwo wells, now capped, produced a high gas content even thoughoperators in 1998 were unsuccessful in their attempts to fracturethem with nitrogen foam, according to state records. The U.S. geologists estimated for technically recoverable gas, butdidn't account for zones that could be off limits todrilling, such as the Shearon Harris nuclear plant in southwesternWake County, high population centers such as downtown Durham, orstate parks and environmentally sensitive areas. And the federal agency didn't say where NorthCarolina's gas was concentrated. Substantial portions of theDeep River Basin are thought to contain no natural gas, accordingto state geologists. Interest limited in N.C. More wells would have to be drilled to ascertain where the gas isand how much there is, and that may not happen for years, if ever.North Carolina could prove to be richer in gas than has beenanticipated, but the state is far down on the industry'spriority list, said Sam McNeil, managing director of River CapitalPartners, a Weddington company 20 miles south of Charlotte thatadvises energy companies. "Let's be honest, how many large companies have been inNorth Carolina leasing acreage?" McNeil said. "Thereare many other plays that are economically more attractive." The limited area analyzed by state geologists is of greatestinterest because it has the best gas resources, said Steve Heron,South Region Exploration Manager for Cabot Oil & Gas in Houston,Texas. Heron said that area is so small that it's not likely toattract major energy companies. Most likely the locally foundnatural gas could be used for brick-making plants, small industriesor nearby power plants, he said. There would have to be asufficient amount of gas to justify building a pipeline network totransport the fuel, he said. Heron, a native of Durham whose father taught geology at DukeUniversity, said that about five years ago his company analyzed thesame eight test wells and corresponding logs that the U.S.Geological Survey reviewed. Cabot Oil & Gas decided at the time thegas supply was insufficient to justify investment. "We didn't think it was that big, and we walked fromit," he said. "You've got a bunch of scatteredbasins with small reserves, and no infrastructure.". We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Dual Fuel Forklift , Vibratory Road Roller Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Dual Fuel Forklift.
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