Hydraulic Fracturing Concerns - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Hydraulic Fracturing Concerns

North Dakota is pumping more than 575,000 barrels of oil a day, more than double what the state produced two years ago.
Hydraulic Fracturing is arguably to credit for North Dakota's oil production success.
But the technique is surrounded by controversy.

The Environmental Protection Agency is currently working on a national study to understand the potential impacts of fracking on drinking water resources.
Initial results of the EPA study are due this year and a final report at the end of 2014.
One local professor believes federal regulations on fracking would be a mistake.
Minot State University professor, Dr. Frank Moseley has a Bachelor of Science in Energy Economics and Finance and he has spent much of his career in international business with multi-national energy companies in many areas of the world including the North Sea, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Moseley says fractures only travel 2-300 feet and contamination is unlikely.

(Dr. Frank Moseley, Ph.D. Mineral Economics) "A lot of people are concerned about fracturing up into the aquifer. We're hydraulic fracturing the rock at 10,000 feet and they're worried about the fracture going up about 10,000 feet to about 200 feet where the fresh water aquifer is? It's not going to happen. The physics doesn't allow you to do it. Besides, you have 4,000 feet of salt. And you can't fracture through salt anyway."

Moseley says the hold up surrounding hydraulic fracturing is easily the 'weak link' in North Dakota's oil production.
He says technology, equipment, financial resources and our nation's scientists are all in place and education is the quickest way to move forward.

(Dr. Frank Moseley, Ph.D. Mineral Economics) "I know their concerns. But I think it's just a better education. Concerned citizens have all the right to question this, but we need to educate them so that we're all on the common plane here."