COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University says its researcher want to install and study a gas well in eastern Ohio to study the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the shale drilling well would be built on university owned land in Noble County. Supporters say it provides researchers opportunity to study how shale drilling alters the environment and assess pollution risks to the air and groundwater.
The process requires a 200-foot-tall drilling rig and a set of industrial pumps to send millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals below ground to shatter the shale and free trapped oil and gas. The proposed shale well is one of several Ohio State projects related to the controversial drilling process.