The report on hydraulic fracturing in the Inglewood Oilfield by Plains Exploration and Production is one of the most comprehensive of its kind, says the author of the study.
Dr. Daniel Tormey of Cardno Entrix, who has been a geologist and geochemist for 23 years, conducted the study on the oil extraction in the oilfield that encompasses Baldwin Hills and parts of Culver City.
“So far, there have not been many of this type of (report on hydraulic fracturing). It’s the first in California and possibly in the nation,” Tormey said.
Tormey’s remarks echo those of PXP Vice President Steven Rusch in an Oct. 10 interview, the day after the report was released.
“This is the first site specific study of its type in California,” the PXP executive asserted. “In combination, between this detailed study, and the comprehensive (environmental impact report) that was developed several years ago the Inglewood Oil Field is one the most analyzed and monitored oil field in California. It is simply not credible to suggest otherwise. “
The review on hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, examined a number of areas pertaining to oil drilling operations and how it would occur in the Inglewood Oilfield.
The City Council received the report on Oct. 10 and has been reviewing it along with their staff.
Mayor Andrew Weissman said the fracking document is very technical in nature and the city’s environmental consultants will assist the council in that aspect.
The area of groundwater and how fracking can affect it is included in the study. Tormey said his research indicated that it was one of topics that the oil company wanted to cover because of the public’s concern over groundwater.
“We held public meetings when I was developing the scope of work and we learned that it was a big concern,” he recalled.
According to Tormey, the focus was expanded to include the West Basin Water District, which delivers water to communities on the Baldwin Hills side of Los Angeles. “Data from the U.S. Geological Survey and California Department of Water Resources all have show that there is limited groundwater beneath Baldwin Hills,” he said.
Opponents of the controversial oil drilling procedure note that some studies on the East Coast have shown the appearance of chemicals used in fracking in groundwater.
“None of the public water supply comes from Baldwin Hills,” Tormey added.
The report also contains a component on community health, another area of importance cited by residents of Baldwin Hills, Ladera Heights and Culver City. “A health assessment conducted by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which analyzed a time period during which conventional hydraulic fracturing and high-rate gravel packing had been conducted at the Inglewood Oil Field, found no statistical difference between areas near the field and Los Angeles County as a whole,” the study states. “Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude these activities did not create adverse health risks.”
Opponents of fracking have made adverse environmental consequences a staple of their campaign to outlaw hydraulic fracturing. They point to studies in other regions of the nation that indicate that fracking can be hazardous to air quality as well as a contributor to seismic activity.
Regarding the latter, Tormey said micro seismic actions were monitored during fracking in Baldwin Hills and the results were imperceptible to humans. “We measured vibrations at the surface layer as well and did not detect anything at surface that was beyond background,” the geologist said. “Our conclusion was hydraulic fracturing does not have any measurable effect at surface.”
Rusch said the study will give the public concrete evidence to examine in light of what he and others associated with the oil and gas industry, as well as some scientists, say are scare tactics advanced by anti-hydraulic fracturing organizations.
“The debate about hydraulic fracturing both locally and nationally has been predominantly driven by hypothetical fears. This study will provide empirical data from two separate high volume hydraulic fracturing completions operations that were conducted at the Inglewood Oil Field,” Rusch said. “The local community and policy leaders will have tangible monitoring results they can use in responding to policy questions about domestic oil and gas production.”
Culver City’s council voted earlier this year to ask the state to outlaw fracking due in large part to efforts led by groups of residents throughout the city who feel the controversial technique will have a deleterious affect on their families, the environment and the city.
While the governing body voted unanimously on asking the state to outlaw fracking, it rejected a proposal 4-1 to create a citizen commission on fracking.
Councilman Meghan Sali-Wells was dismayed that she was the lone vote.
“I am disappointed that my colleagues did not recognize the benefits of having a resident committee devoted to fracking and oil drilling,” she said. “We have so many committed, willing and able residents who could have assisted the city in information-gathering.
“There is immense interest in this issue that touches the heart of our health and well-being as a community.”
Tormey pointed out that he was not directly paid by the oil and gas company to write the report, although PXP contracted with his firm for his services. “Reports like this are commonly paid for by the company,” the geochemist noted.
The study focused solely on the Inglewood Oilfield.
Asked if the fracking report, which came about as a result of a court settlement between the county, Culver City and PXP was one of the most important elements that came from the settlement, Weissmann responded, “Absolutely. Without the settlement agreement we would not have this study.
“This puts us in a better position from an informational standpoint. What we do with that information remains to be seen.”
Tormey said one of the principal reasons of the study was to give clarity to how fracking will affect oil drilling in Baldwin Hills as well as dispel any myths about the procedure.
“Our main objective was to bring some facts into the discussion,” he said.
On Oct. 16, the Climate Law Institute Center for Biological Diversity joined the Sierra Club and two other organizations in filing a lawsuit against the state Department of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, which regulates oil and gas production. The lawsuit calls for a ban on fracking.