Fracking Moratoriums Idle Drilling Equipment - At Least Temporarily

West Bloomfield, Rochester Hills, Shelby Township and Scio Township have all passed temporary moratoriums on oil and gas exploration. (Screenshot: WDIV, Channel 4)

_____________________

Don’t Drill the Hills, the group protesting oil and gas exploration in Rochester Hills and elsewhere in southeast Michigan, is claiming a victory with a decision earlier this week by the City Council to place temporary moratorium on gas and oil exploration and drilling, but said the six-month hiatus doesn’t go far enough.

Rochester Hill’s moratorium on oil and gas exploration is the latest among southeast Michigan municipalities. West Bloomfield passed a similar moratorium earlier this month, as have Shelby and Scio townships, the WDIV, Channel 4, said.

In July, the West Bay Installation Co. installed an oil rig near a densely populated Shelby Township subdivision, embroiling tensions that had been festering for months. As a result oil and gas drilling operations will be shut down by the end of the week, WDIV, Channel 4, reports.

“West Bay will shut down drilling operations in Shelby Township indefinitely by the end of this week,” West Bay vice president Patrick Gibson said in a news release. “Our goal is to be a good partner in the community, and it is clear that we need to work with neighbors and state officials to address concerns that are being raised before moving forward.”

In a statement, Don’t Drill the Hills said Rochester Hills officials have “finally recognized citizens’ voices.”

Tell Us:

• As state legislators look at laws and regulations on oil and gas exploration and fracking in Michigan, what changes do you think should be made? Tell us what you think using Patch’s new commenting platform using Disqus.

“Since January (we) have made clear that oil and gas drilling is not welcome in our densely populated neighborhood community,” the statement said. “This is proof that a bipartisan grassroots effort by voters – who are parents, property owners, and business owners – can make a difference in the community.”

Though a “step in the right direction,” the moratorium is only temporary and doesn’t recognize larger concerns, the group said, urging the city council to:

• Rescind the lease of park and cemetery land that the City voluntarily signed with Jordan Development, but without prior vote of the residents. Rescinding the lease sends the message that City Council really wants to change their position on gas and oil drilling.
• Develop and pass meaningful local ordinances that will be more effective in restricting oil/gas drilling and production operations in high-density residential and school areas.

The group also said legislative reform is needed to return regulatory power over such drilling operations to local townships. Local residents opposed to drilling and exploration cite potential environmental and health risks, questions about property rights and property values, and concerns about mortgage and insurance complications.

West Bay told WDIV Gov. Rick Snyder and other state officials encouraged them to shut down operations in Shelby Township until a plan can be worked out to ease resident concerns while at the same time preserving the state’s ability to meet energy demands.

Among the changes the state is considering is extending the 450-foot setback rule to create a larger buffer between drilling operations and homes.

“If you set up the rules to address the situation, they’ve got to work anywhere,” Brad Wurfel, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, told WDIV.

“And so the question before the DEQ right now is, do the rules we’ve got work? … We’re taking a look,” he said.

Another company, Jordan Development, has secured mineral rights on thousands of acres of Oakland County land. Oakland County officials said at the time the leases were secured that drilling practices may or may not include fracking, the common term used to describe slick water horizontal fracturing.

The practice involves drilling wells up to two miles into the Earth, then turning the drill bit horizontally to drill up to several miles. The wells fill up with millions of gallons of fresh water mixed with sand, salts and chemicals, which is subjected to intense bursts of pressure to loosen rock formations and release natural gas. Critics of the process fear possible contamination of groundwater resources, as well as concerns about the disposal of the resulting fracking fluids.