638 JOURNAL OF LAW AND POLICY
and other agents to ensure the proppant remains in the fracture
of the shale instead of corroding the pipes carrying the water
into the fracture.^44 Hydrofracking is also accompanied by a
drilling rig^45 and requires the instillation of storage and
processing centers nearby.^46 Once the hydrofracking process is
completed, the remaining fluid, known as “flowback,” returns to
the surface.^47 If the “flowback” is not reused, then it is
considered “industrial wastewater” and must be disposed of in a
concentrated and safe manner.^48
Supporters and opponents of hydrofracking dispute whether
the benefits outweigh the risks. One benefit of hydrofracking, its
supporters argue, is increased revenue and jobs. Proponents
point to Pennsylvania, where more than 5,000 hydrofracking
wells have been created since 2005.^49 According to the
Pennsylvania State Department of Labor and Industry, in 2010
almost 19,000 people were employed in the hydrofracking
industry with another 140,000 working in related or supporting
jobs.^50 Additionally, the Marcellus Shale Coalition estimates that
hydrofracking generated $11.2 billion in economic activity and
$1.1 billion in state and local tax revenue for Pennsylvania in
2010 alone.^51 An industry study indicated that this could be just
the beginning and that gas companies could generate as much as
prevents the growth of bacteria which can reduce the ability of the fluid to
carry proppant into the fracture”).
(^44) See Marcellus Shale, supra note 2.
(^45) RDSGIS, supra note 41, at 5-135–36 tbl.5.29 (explaining that the
drilling rig consists of a drill pad, drill rig, drilling fluid and materials, road
construction equipment and drilling equipment such as the casing and drill
pipe).
(^46) Id. at 5-80–82.
(^47) Id. at 5-99–117.
(^48) Id. at 5-130.
(^49) Goho, supra note 14, at 5.
(^50) Laura Legere, Industry Study: Marcellus Economic Impact Dramatic,
CITIZENSVOICE.COM (July 11, 2011), http://citizensvoice.com/news/
drilling/industry-study-marcellus-economic-impact-dramatic-1.1178179.
(^51) TIMOTHY J. CONSIDINE ET AL., THE PENNSYLVANIA MARCELLUS
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY: STATUS, ECONOMIC IMPACTS AND FUTURE
POTENTIAL iv (2011), available at http://marcelluscoalition.org/wp-
content/uploads/2011/07/Final-2011-PA-Marcellus-Economic-Impacts.pdf.