ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Energy
Environment
Drilling & Hydraulic Fracturing
Natural Gas & Hydraulic Fracturing in the Media
FAQ
ENERGY
ENVIRONMENT
JKLM Energy understands its operations are located in communities where people live, work, play, and love. In Potter County, JKLM understands Potter County, or God’s Country, is home to the darkest skies and brightest stars in the eastern United States, prized game lands, fabled trout runs, and a landscape that people are deeply rooted in. JKLM is dedicated to protecting water, air, land, wildlife, and of course, people in the community’s way of life.
Water
Water use and disposal is strictly regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Susquehanna River Basin Commissions. Prior to any drilling activities, a pre-drill water supply sampling is collected, providing a water quality baseline within 3,000 feet of a well. Drilling pad locations are designed to prevent any storm water runoff and are lined with impervious mats to prevent any long-term environmental impact.
Wells are constructed with multiple repetitive layers of steel piping, called casing, and are cemented into place to protect the freshwater aquifer. After the well is drilled, cased, and cemented, hydraulic fracturing is carried out by pumping water mixed primarily with sand into a well at a very high pressure. The fractures occur over a mile below the water table, and in JKLM’s case, typically two miles below. Across the unconventional oil and gas industry, hydraulic fracturing requires approximately 187 billion gallons of water per year. This number may seem large, but it makes up only opens in a new window 0.87% of total industrial water used nationwide, and only 0.04% of total fresh water use.
Water for JKLM’s operations is sourced under strict regulation, and only fresh water is stored in open lined ponds called impoundments. JKLM treats, recycles, and reuses all flowback and produced water when possible to reduce freshwater consumption. JKLM has a number of water sharing agreements with other operators, which allows us to recycle produced water both internalyl and externally as a way to further reduce the environmental and economic footprint of production water handling.
Air
Air emissions are regulated by federal and state air quality regulations. Air emissions are continuously monitored. Natural gas consumption releases significantly less carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulates than competing energy sources. Increased natural gas production has contributed to a reduction in opens in a new window CO2 emissions and opens in a new window methane emissions. Currently, air quality is the cleanest in the modern era with the EPA reporting total emissions of six criteria air pollutants have declined opens in a new window 74 percent since 1970.
Safe
The hydraulic fracturing technique has been utilized for decades. opens in a new window Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar stated hydraulic fracturing can be done safely and has been done safely hundreds of thousands of times. More recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opens in a new window conducted a study and found no evidence that hydraulic fracturing has led to widespread, systematic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States.
For more information, visit:
opens in a new window Protecting PA's Environment: A Regulatory Overview
opens in a new window Marcellus Shale Coalition Community Guiding Principals
opens in a new window Pre-Drill Water Supply Sampling Facts
opens in a new window Potter County U.S.G.S. Baseline Groundwater Study & Additional Resources
opens in a new window How to Interpret a Water Analysis Report