Hydraulic fracturing and the management, disposal, and reuse of frac flowback waters: Views from the public in the Marcellus Shale

Issues associated with the public's views on hydraulic fracturing and the management, disposal, and reuse of frac flowback wastewaters are empirically examined in this paper. The data used in the analyses were collected in a general population survey from a random sample drawn from 21 counties located in the geological Central Core and Tier 1 of the Marcellus Shale region in Pennsylvania. Differences in the information reported by survey respondents living in high well-density counties (20 or more wells per 100 square miles) and their counterparts living in low well-density counties (fewer than 20 wells per 100 square miles) were examined. Substantive findings from the overall sample, as well as statistically significant differences between the two groups of respondents, are reported. The results contained in this paper should prove beneficial to members of the general public, community leaders, oil and gas industry representatives, government and regulatory agency personnel, environmental and non-governmental organization representatives, and other interested stakeholders.