Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County

Disposal Wells: A Solution for Marcellus Waste?

This free public forum will be held to public dialogue about consequences of drilling for natural gas in NY.   Presenters will be Dr. Tony Ingraffea, Cornell University Professor of Engineering;  Mr. William Kappel, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division; and Rachel Treichler, Esq., Attorney from Hammondsport , NY.

 

With tens of thousands of gas wells expected to be drilled into the Marcellus shale layer in New York over the next 30 years, and each well creating a million or more gallons of contaminated waste fluids, the problem of disposal of that waste poses an enormous problem. New York does not have the capacity to treat the waste at this time. The rules proposed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in their draft of the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (dSGEIS) state that the problem of waste disposal must be solved before drilling begins and suggest that one of the solutions may be to inject the waste deep underground. Injection disposal often use existing wells drilled in the past but no longer producing gas; new wells may also be drilled for disposal purposes. Both the State of New York DEC and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must approve applications for  disposal wells.

 

About the Presenters:

Dr. Tony Ingraffea, Dwight C.Baum Professor of Engineering at Cornell University, has many years of experience in the field of rock fracture mechanics. His work concentrates on computer simulation and physical testing of complex fracturing processes. He has won many awards in his field and has worked on R&D projects for the leading Gas and Oil Industry companies.

William Kappel has been with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 1979 and is currently at the Water Science Center at Ithaca, New York . He specializes in water-resource investigations. Mr. Kappel served as project chief of the Rochester , NY National Urban Runoff Program (NURP) study and the project chief of the West Valley, NY nuclear waste site study. He has done several ground-water mapping investigations throughout New York State. Current investigations include Onondaga Valley Aquifer study -- movement of natural brines to Onondaga Lake and the study of small aquifer systems in the Tug Hill Plateau.

Rachel Treichler, Esq. received her law degree from the University of Texas at Austin . Treichler has 27 years of legal experience. She has been providing legal services to clients in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier region since 2002. She previously practiced in New York City . She represents clients in mineral rights, riparian rights, real estate, alternative energy, home rule, election law, and freedom of information law matters.

The format of the evening will allow each of the panel members a brief period to present their views, after which they will, as a group, answer questions presented by the moderator. Written questions will also be collected from members of the audience and asked of the panel.

 

This event is sponsored by Shaleshock Action Alliance, Concerned Citizens of Ulysses, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, New Yorkers for Sustainable Energy Systems Statewide, Community Environmental Defense Council, Pulteney Pure Water Citizens Committee, Enfield Neighbors for Safe Air and Water, Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County, and Social Action Committee of Temple Beth-El.

 

Photo of Marcellus Shale Drilling in Lycoming, PA by Ruhrfisch, used by permission through Wikimedia Commons.

DATES

Monday May 03, 2010: 07:00 PM - 09:15 PM

FEE

Free

LOCATION

Women’s Community Building
100 W. Seneca Street
Ithaca, New York 14850