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Historical Minnesota fracking information, 2000-2015
 in Minnesota |
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This page contains historical information about fracking in Minnesota. For more current information about fracking in Minnesota, see this article.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there were no proven crude oil or natural gas reserves in Minnesota as of 2015; consequently, there were no fracking operations in the state at that time. The information below describes fracking generally.[1][2]
Fracking background
- See also: Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of oil and natural gas extraction. The process involves injecting fluid into subterranean rock formation at a high pressure, creating a fracture network that allows the crude oil and natural gas inside dense rocks to flow into a wellbore and be extracted at the surface. The fluid used in this process is made up of sand and water, which comprise 95 percent of the fluid, and other chemical additives, which comprise less than 5 percent of the fluid.[3]
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were approximately 23,000 hydraulically fractured wells in the United States in 2000. By 2015, there were an estimated 300,000 hydraulically fractured wells. To learn more about fracking, see this article.[4][5]
Frac sand mining
Although fracking did not occur in Minnesota as of 2014 due to the lack of fossil fuel reserves, the state was rich in silica sand, which can be used as frac sand in the fracking process. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, there were five silica sand mines in the state used for industrial purposes as of 2014 (along with an unknown number of mines used for agricultural and construction purposes). According to Minnesota Public Radio, some municipalities enacted moratoria on frac sand mining in their communities pending further study on the practice.[6][7]
Fracking in the 50 states
Click on a state below to read more about energy in that state.
See also
External links
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Minnesota Profile"
- Frac Focus, "National Hydraulic Fracturing Chemical Registry"
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Crude Oil Proved Reserves, Reserves Changes, and Production," accessed January 12, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves, Year-end 2015," December 14, 2016
- ↑ Frack Wire, “What is Fracking,” accessed January 28, 2014
- ↑ University of Oklahoma, "Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources," accessed March 12, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Hydraulic fracturing accounts for about half of current U.S. crude oil production," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Public Radio, "Frac Sand Mining," accessed July 10, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, "DNR and Silica Sand," accessed July 10, 2014
