Environmental Geochemistry Issues Semi-Monthly

 Here is a continuation of the issue covered in my very first post dated December 11, 2012 concerning Big Oil Mineral Rights vs. Agricultural Land Ownership Rights in Kern County, California.  It would appear that the Kern County Board of Supervisors has begun the process of creating a new set of rules for "oil drilling on prime farmland".  The follow-up story source is from KGET Channel 17 News in Bakersfield, California and can be read by clicking the link below: Oil and Ag resolution approved by county Follow Up information:    How do oil and ag feel about permitting plan?  It's complicated (John COX, Bakersfield Californian ; October 11, 2015) http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/how-do-oil-and-ag-feel-about-permitting-plan-it/article_8fcd68eb-2013-57a7-b093-505cbd8f4e17.html Selected Follow-Up Documentation: Kern County Oil and Gas Permitting Program Annual Progress Report  (December 1, 2016 to November 30, 2017) [Lore...

Unconventional natural gas production via fracking processes and its influence on global climate change has been hotly debated...  My interest in studying this particular subject is to present published scientific research from both sides of this contentious issue. My findings include a 53 minute Radio presentation produced by the Allegheny Front , which covers several aspects of unconventional gas production; the original research publications by Robert W. HOWARTH, Renee SANTORO,and Anthony INGRAFFEA; as well as opposing commentary made by Lawrence M. CATHLES III, Larry BROWN, Milton TAAM, and Andrew HUNTER discussed. Finally, I have thrown in a publication by J. David HUGHES which compares and contrasts research findings from the first HOWARTH et al. publication and a Powerpoint presentation made by Timothy J. SKONE from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in 2011. Gas Planet: The Impact of the Natural Gas Boom on Climate Change   http://interactive.wx...

Oil Sands Development has been a major public concern in Alberta, CANADA in recent years.   For those who are not quite familiar with this practice, the surface mining of oil sand deposits involves the extraction of bitumen ; a naturally occurring, viscous mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with warm water. After the desired product is removed, a “slurry” composed of sand, silt, and clay materials, as well as residual hydrocarbons and associated mobilized toxic trace elements is generated as mine waste. Eventually, this waste is disposed of in excavated areas commonly known as “tailing ponds” or “tailing impoundment areas” at these mining sites. Because environmental impacts and human health exposure assessments to oil sands mine wastes are not completely understood -- and are in the process of being scientifically reviewed and evaluated -- tailing pond management & reclamation, water usage, and food & water quality are all subjects of discussi...

A continued problem met by Farmers worldwide is that of Soil Salinity .   Because fresh water -- whether from surface or groundwater sources -- is a non-renewable resource , it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain Agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions around the world.  To illustrate this growing concern of soil salinization within rural communities located in areas of Interior drainage , California Watch produced a video detailing the current plight of farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, CA USA in September 2012. Salt in the Fields (Video Transcript; Reveal ; September 27, 2012) https://www.revealnews.org/article/video-salt-in-the-fields/ The Scientific community has taken soil salinization to task by researching Irrigation Salinity and Irrigated Agriculture Sustainability in light of continued limited fresh water resources - a stark reality faced by Agriculture, Industry and Environmental stakeholders alike.  Therefore, I present the followin...

Here is an update to my December 19, 2012 post concerning hydraulic fracturing ("Fracking") processes and water pollution.   A recent newspaper article by Ben WOLFGANG from the Washington Times discusses a forthcoming Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study, and its impending "rigorous and independent peer review" : EPA offers details of its controversial fracking study (Ben WOLFGANG, The Washington Times ; December 21, 2012) https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/21/epa-offers-details-its-controversial-fracking-stud/

As 2012 is about to end, I wish to draw attention to the 40 th  Anniversary of 33 U. S. C. §1251 et seq. (1972) .    Commonly known as the “Clean Water Act” , this piece of legislation brought forth “the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters.” (U. S. EPA) That being said, I move from my last blog post concerning the Oil & Gas Industry practice of “Fracking” to another source of groundwater and surface water contamination – “Nitrogen Pollution” .   This has both geogenic as well as anthropogenic sources.   However, it has been determined that high contaminant levels of nitrates (NO 3 - ) measured in Rural area water sources are a direct result of Agricultural Industry practices.    Below is a video documenting the problems associated with Nitrate pollution.    A link is provided to the report discussed in the video from t...

My attention was caught by a KBFX Fox 58 Evening Newscast story in Bakersfield concerning legislation and regulation of the hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, in the State of California.   So, I decided to dig a little deeper into the subject, and share my findings with you.   An article released yesterday afternoon by the San Jose Silicon Valley MercuryNews.com covers the story quite succinctly: “California Releases First-Ever Fracking Regulations”   by Paul ROGERS http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22219233/california-releases-first-ever-fracking-regulations According to a 35-paged report released by the Pacific Institute this past June entitled “Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources:   Separating the Frack from the Fiction” (COOLEY and DONNELLY, 2012), six key water-related issues were identified as follows:   1)       Water Withdrawals     2)       Groundwater Conta...