Massachusetts and fracking

Introduction
Western Massachusetts might have the right geology to host small shale gas deposits, according to the USGS. In 2012 the group American Ground Water Trust said small-scale gas development could begin in several years. But as of 2012 no companies have expressed interest in exploring for shale gas, state officials say, and the type of wells needed to get to the gas, if any is found, are prohibited by the state's underground injection control regulations (although the rules do not specifically mention fracking).

History
Part of Massachusetts is underlain by a geological feature known as the Hartford Basin, stretching 34 miles long in Massachusetts and varying in width from three to 15 miles. The entire basin lies under the Connecticut Valley from roughly the Vermont border to the Connecticut shoreline.

Geologists say that extractable shale gas deposits in the Hartford Basin are highly unlikely: a good portion of the basin was overheated from volcanic activity, which likely vaporized any oil or gas, while other places were not heated enough to produce gas. Geologists therefore say it is highly unlikely that exploration would occur for shale gas in the valley because current data strongly suggest that the source rocks for any deposits, if present, are too small, scattered, and of questionable quality.

Texaco did exploratory geophysical work in the 1970s, and then paid for work in the 1980s to examine the hydrothermal history of the Connecticut Valley, but no further exploration took place.

In June 2012, a US Geological Survey report assessed five East Coast basins, but noted the Hartford Basin as among among a number they did not examine due to insufficient data. Many media outlets claim this report as documenting the discovery of shale gas in the Hartford basin. The report does not.

Legislative issues and regulations
As of 2013, three bills have been filed in the Legislature to pre-emptively ban hydraulic fracturing, and one would require disclosures about what chemicals are being used in the fracking process. Although fracking would be prohibited by the state's underground injection control regulations, legislators say the rules do not specifically mention fracking, requiring clarification.

In November 2013 the Massachusetts State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources approved a bill that would place a 10-year moratorium on fracking in the Bay State — through December 31, 2024. In addition, the bill would keep fracking wastewater produced by operations in other states from being treated, stored, or disposed in Massachusetts. The bill would still need to have the full House and Senate pass it and Governor Deval Patrick sign it to become law.

Reports

 * Nathan G. Phillips, Robert Ackley, Eric R. Crosson, Adrian Down, Lucy R. Hutyra, Max Brondfield, Jonathan D. Karr, Kaiguang Zhao, and Robert B. Jackson, "Mapping urban pipeline leaks: Methane leaks across Boston," Environmental Pollution, Volume 173, February 2013, Pages 1–4.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * United States and fracking

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