Think Fracking Is Bad? Wait Until You Hear about the Gas Industry's "Acid Jobs"

[eridani]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/05/28-3

A pumpjack drills for oil in the Monterey Shale, California, April 29, 2013. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson) 'Acid jobs,' a highly toxic method of fossil fuel extraction, have gone vastly unregulated by lawmakers, particularly in California where the method is commonly used.

An 'acid job' is a process whereby companies pump chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid into an already built gas and oil well to "melt rocks" and objects that are obstructing oil flow.

"These are super-hazardous, poisonous chemicals and we have no idea what they are doing out there with it - how deep it is going, the volumes - nothing," said Bill Allayaud of the Environmental Working Group. "Why shouldn't our state agency be regulating it as we hope they'll be regulating hydraulic fracturing?"

Acid jobs differ from fracking in that the chemicals are used to quickly eat away at rock and debris formations. Alternatively, fracking blasts away rock formations with a toxic concoction of water and chemicals.

Both processes are widely used and highly toxic, and the long-term environmental damage from each are equally untold.

[Politicalboi]

1. This shit has got to stop

We NEED our water here in Ca. Granted, every state needs their water, but Ca has a large population, and has ALWAYS had water shortages as long as I can remember. WE need to start treating water like oil. By capturing it more when it rains, and piping it across the states when flooding is apparent. We waste so much water when it floods, and the damage alone is staggering. And since the East coast may have more flooding as climate change continues, if we had a piping system, it would avoid a lot of damage and danger. Fuck fracking we NEED infrastructure jobs to build these dikes and pipelines to conserve water. Get rid of that disaster oil sludge crap, and pipe water instead.

[Socialistlemur]

3. I'll sell you water at $2.40 a gallon.

Since you value water so much let me know where I can deliver 10 thousand gallons at $2.40 each. That's a bit lower than today's oil price.

[Socialistlemur]

2. Acidizing oil and gas wells is very common, wait..there's more

It's really interesting to see the general public learn about common oil industry procedures. I wonder if any of you heard about drilling mud, which is used to drill wells, or the radioactive tubing which comes out of the wells sometimes? Or the very salty water they produce? I suppose you will think its horrifying.