A potentially valuable by-product recently discovered at a fracking site in Pennsylvania could supply nearly half of U.S. lithium demand, prompting Republican lawmakers to call on Democrats to abandon their anti-gas campaign.
University of Pittsburgh study, Published According to a paper published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, annual production of lithium from the Marcellus Shale, a huge formation of rock that contains natural gas beneath Pennsylvania and surrounding states, is estimated to total 1,278 tonnes.
Researchers Justin McKee, Daniel J. Bain, Greg Lackey, James Gardiner, Djuna Gulliver and Barbara Catchko found that wastewater produced by hydraulic fracturing “contains significant amounts of extractable lithium.”
In a typical electric vehicle (EV), I need According to Reuters, the discovery could show that natural gas extraction can coexist with “greener” energy sources.
“Right now, almost 40 percent of the nation’s lithium demand is here as a by-product of fracking,” Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pennsylvania), who represents much of the Marcellus region, told Fox News. interview Published Saturday.
“I fully expect all Democrats to join Republicans in supporting domestic natural gas development,” Reschenthaler continued, arguing that Democrats have stifled the energy industry.
[There are] In Pennsylvania alone, the industry supports 100,000 union jobs…Under the Biden Administration, Republicans have fought to liberate American energy while Democrats have increased our reliance on China and other foreign adversaries with their disastrous green policies.
McKee, one of the researchers at Pitt, Said In addition to supplying lithium, KDKA claims that extracting lithium from water through hydraulic fracturing “can reduce the costs of cleaning up and treating this waste.”
Although the researchers didn’t look at wastewater from neighboring states such as West Virginia or Ohio, McKee said the amount of lithium there “could be much higher, which would create an economic boom for those areas as well.”
Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano, a Republican, also called on “climate extremists” to find common ground with fossil fuel supporters.
The former gubernatorial candidate told Fox News:
It’s a great irony that the same climate extremists who oppose fossil fuel extraction under any circumstances rely on lithium for battery components needed for solar panels and electric vehicles, which often run on electricity generated by natural gas.
“Fracking could be the cleanest, most environmentally friendly way to produce natural gas energy and extract the domestic lithium we need for the green future that our far-left colleagues support,” Mastriano added.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) spoke positively about the findings.
“This is an opportunity to source a critical mineral domestically to support American jobs and manufacturing and reduce our reliance on countries like China,” the Democrat said. “I’m eager to learn more about the potential that lithium can bring to Pennsylvania’s economy.”
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said the lithium discovery was an “important development,” but that “we have a moral obligation to move away from dirty fossil fuels and increase standards of extraction at home and abroad.”
“Sourcing lithium and other critical minerals from waste has the potential to reduce the environmental impact of the mineral supply chain, but it needs to be done responsibly,” Grijalva told the outlet. “It is important that environmental regulations are aligned with laws that protect local ecosystems and communities from the negative impacts of irresponsible mining and fossil fuel extraction.”
