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Archive

Mark J. Snow, Fracking in Michigan, February 26th, 2014

February 5, 2014

The Detroit Section American Chemical Society, co-sponsored by ANACHEM & SAS, presents:

Hydraulic Fracturing (“Fracking”) in Michigan:
Michigan’s regulatory response to high volume hydraulic fracturing.
Balancing the economic benefits while protecting the environment and the public.

Mark J. Snow
Supervisor, Permits and Bonding Unit
Office of Oil, Gas, and Minerals
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
Lawrence Technological University
Room: M218, Buell Management Building
21000 West Ten Mile Road, Southfield, MI, 48075-1058

6:30 pm: Free Pizza and Presentation

Summary
Hydraulic fracturing (Fracking) has been utilized throughout the United States for more than 60 years and allows production in unconventional or tight geologic reservoirs that otherwise would not yield economical amounts of oil and natural gas. To date, over 1.25 million wells have been hydraulically fractured nationwide. Hydraulic fracturing is a well completion operation that involves pumping fluid and proppants into the target formation to create artificial fractures, or enhance natural fractures, for the purpose of improving deliverability and production of hydrocarbons. Proppants, usually silica sand, are added to the fluid to hold the fractures open once they are created. Small concentrations of chemicals are added to the fluid to improve the effectiveness of the fracture job. In the past 60 years significant advancements of the technology have occurred in such areas proppant development, fluid advances, modeling and simulation, and horizontal well integration. The first hydraulic fracture stimulation was performed in Michigan in 1952. Since then, over 12,000 wells have been hydraulically fractured in our state. New development plans are focused on multi-staged completions using large volumes of fluid and drilling long horizontal wells (up to two miles) at vertical depths of 4,000 to 10,000 feet.

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Office of Oil, Gas, and Minerals (OOGM) is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the best use of Michigan’s geological resources for their social and economic benefits while protecting the environment and public health and safety.

Biography
Mark Snow is the Supervisor of the Permits and Bonding Unit, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Oil, Gas, and Minerals (OOGM). Mark oversees the unit in charge of permitting of oil, natural gas, injection, and mineral well activities within the State of Michigan. He has been with OOGM for almost 10 years. Mark earned his Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Michigan State University.

Other Event Information
A campus map with parking and building locations is available at http://www.ltu.edu/map/

If a winter storm happens to visit the Detroit area on February 26th, and you are unsure if the meeting will take place, please call Megan Klein at 248-470-5059 before 5 pm.

For more information on hydraulic fracturing, a visit the Michigan DEQ website is helpful: http://www.michigan.gov/deq and search “fracking” or check out this comprehensive document: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/Hydraulic_Fracturing_In_Michigan_423431_7.pdf