Have you ever heard of fracking? It's the act of drilling horizontally in the earth for gas. Currently, it's illegal, but state lawmakers are moving quickly toward legalizing the process. However, fracking could spark a fierce battle of neighbor versus neighbor in a fight to shape our state's future.
A state survey conducted about a year ago revealed that underground lies enough methane gas to power the state for 40 years.
The deep river basin has long rock formations, about 6,000 feet below, that have high concentrations of methane gas. The highest concentration of methane is under Lee, Chatham, and Moore counties.
Experts say all that gas is buried treasure below, to the tune of billions of dollars. But getting to that buried treasure is not easy.
"Fracking really comes in two steps," says Dr. Rob Jackson, a professor at Duke University. "The first step, companies need to drill down in the ground. And what's new about the technology today is the ability to go sideways to do horizontal drilling."
Dr. Jackson says they then make a thin slice and open little cracks in the rock. Water comes in and forces open that shell gas which allows the gas to flow back out the well to the surface.
Jackson spent the last year living in Pennsylvania studying the process and came back to Durham with some pretty serious horror stories when it comes to fracking.
In Pennsylvania, a gas well blowout led to a massive spill of the drilling fluid, contaminating water, flooding farms, homes and cattle. Then homeowners that allowed fracking found their water supply was contaminated. Some of the water would bubble from the dangerous amounts of methane gas.
Jackson says if the state isn't careful, a similar incident could happen in North Carolina. Homes on city water wouldn't be affected, but those on private wells will be affected. And most of Lee County are on private wells.
On the other hand, Jackson thinks if the state sets certain regulations, this could work for the state.
Once the study was published, a company called Whitmar exploration from Colorado started offering landowners $20 an acre for their mineral rights. Over 60 families signed up, often not knowing how much more valuable their land might be and without knowing the environmental risks.
One Lee County woman said no to the offer. She owns 90 acres of land. On that land stands her home which was built by her grandfather from scratch. She said she wanted her grandchildren to be able to enjoy it the way it is now. Not with tall rigs and scores of trailers.
This story focuses on Lee County but it’s important to note – this is affecting folks in Chatham and Moore as well – we look forward to telling their story in the coming months and years. There a lot of voices out there, and these are the first of many.
Dr. Jackson has sent an open letter to the state government as they move forward with legalizing fracking. He says changes must be made. Jackson suggests improving oil well casings, fully disclosing what is in fracking fluids, and he suggests charging a fee for every well drilled. That money would then be put into a trust fund to protect the state's environment.
NBC-17 is hoping to hear back from state lawmakers and Governor Bev Perdue about fracking. For more information on fracking, click on the related links to the right.
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