Fracking in the Gulf of Mexico Has Released Billions of Gallons of Waste
Fracking in the Gulf of Mexico Has Released Billions of Gallons of Waste
An attorney from the Center for Biological Diversity says that fracking released more than 76 billion gallons of waste into the Gulf of Mexico in 2014, with much of the waste coming from fracking wells off the coast of Louisiana.
These wells were approved by the U.S. government, which issued more than 1,200 permits for fracking operations at over 600 wells between 2010 and 2014. However, there is not a lot of public information about what chemicals fracking companies are dumping into the ocean, according to the attorney from the Center for Biological Diversity.
The organization submitted a Freedom of Information Act request about the wells to the bureaus of Ocean Energy Management and Safety and Environmental Enforcement, but so far those organizations have not complied.
While land-based fracking operations must dispose wastewater by depositing it into underground disposal wells, operations offshore may obtain permits to dump certain quantities of waste fluids, rather than transport the waste back to land.
Many Gulf of Mexico fracking wells are positioned in environmentally-sensitive areas, such as areas that serve as habitat for endangered loggerhead sea turtles. Fracking poses a significant risk to these sensitive ecosystems.
The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement says that all Gulf of Mexico fracking permits were closely examined by experts before being issued. They also state fracking accounts for only a minor share of the drilling activity in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Center for Biological Diversity is encouraging federal regulators to closely investigate the risks offshore fracking poses to the environment.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a technique for releasing gas and oil from underground, but it can cause damage to the surrounding environment.
If fracking has negatively impacted your property or your business, contact the Louisiana oilfield contamination lawyers at Simien & Simien to fight for your rights. Our skilled attorneys will work to recover just compensation for any harm you have experienced from oilfield contamination.
