Can Fracking Save the Bay?

From acid mine waste? Pennsylvania proposes using acid mine waste as fracking fluid:

HARRISBURG -- The Department of Environmental Protection announced today it has finalized the process it will use for encouraging and reviewing proposals to use mine-influenced water, such as acid mine drainage, in oil and gas operations. The process is outlined in a white paper the agency released today.

“Abandoned mines present Pennsylvania with one of its biggest environmental challenges,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “This initiative, which combines remediating abandoned mine water with responsible extraction of our natural gas resources, is a win for our environment and our economy.”

Indeed, getting rid of acid mine waste is a big deal in Pennsylvania, and several other nearby states, including Maryland.

More than 300 million gallons of water is discharged from mines into Pennsylvania’s waterways every day. Such water has impaired more than 5,500 miles of rivers and streams in the state.

In 2011, the Governor’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission included among its recommendations encouraging the use of non-freshwater sources in drilling operations.

This water will still have to be treated, but it would need to be treated after use for drilling and fracking anyway, so it will be an enormous gain in pollution control.

Will it save the Bay? No, but it will do a little, anyway, to reduce the load of toxic metals into the rivers and Bay.