Marcellus Gas Drilling
The Commonwealth of Virginia is facing its first Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling with a recent application in Rockingham County. This process requires a technique called hydrofracturing which involves the injection of high volumes of water, sand, and chemicals
deep into the ground to breakdown rock formations and release natural gas. There are unknown and unintended consequences of this technology, including potential contamination of ground and surface water.
Presentations from May 5th, 2010 Marcellus Workshop in Harrisonburg
View a video from SVN's May 5 Marcellus workshop in Harrisonburg (4 minutes 39 sec)
Read more about the permit in Rockingham County from www.preserverockingham.org,
View a map of the Marcellus Shale formation in the northern Shenandoah Valley counties. (PDF 1MB)
View a map of the Marcellus Shale formation in the southern Shenandoah Valley counties.(PDF 1MB)
Learn more about Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling:
In March, US Environmental Protection Agency reversed its 2004 position that hydraulic fracturing did not pose a risk to drinking water by launching a 2-year national study of the water and public health impacts of natural gas drilling.
Download the March 2010 report outlining the new study. (PDF 1MB)
Hydraulic fracture drilling has been known to use extremely toxic chemicals. A list of 345 of them with substantial product and toxicological information can be found at The Endocrine Disruption Exchange at www.endocrinedisruption.com
The United States Geological Survey published a report on water impacts of Marcellus Shale drilling.
Recent News
Read recent articles about the effects of natural gas drilling.
