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7.1 Bulldozers Running Amok
Shale gas and tight oil wells have impacts on landscapes and habitats that are different from conventional wells. Because the unconventional wells require so much
more room for equipment and materials to carry out drilling and fracking operations, the standard pad size is about five acres (2 ha). For people familiar with conventional, vertical O&G wells where small single or double drill rigs only require
small pads perhaps a few hundred feet (dozen meters) square, the gigantic pads
constructed for unconventional wells can come as quite a shock. Especially in the
east, where landowners typically have much smaller parcels of land than in the west,
a five-acre drill pad can represent a significant percentage of one’s property.
Fig. 7.1 A triple drill rig towers over both trees and visitors at a Marcellus Shale site in
Pennsylvania. (Photographed in 2011 by Dan Soeder)
7 Effects on Landscapes
7.1 Bulldozers Running Amok
Shale gas and tight oil wells have impacts on landscapes and habitats that are different from conventional wells. Because the unconventional wells require so much
more room for equipment and materials to carry out drilling and fracking operations, the standard pad size is about five acres (2 ha). For people familiar with conventional, vertical O&G wells where small single or double drill rigs only require
small pads perhaps a few hundred feet (dozen meters) square, the gigantic pads
constructed for unconventional wells can come as quite a shock. Especially in the
east, where landowners typically have much smaller parcels of land than in the west,
a five-acre drill pad can represent a significant percentage of one’s property.
Fig. 7.1 A triple drill rig towers over both trees and visitors at a Marcellus Shale site in
Pennsylvania. (Photographed in 2011 by Dan Soeder)
7 Effects on Landscapes