Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/tag/fracking/page/3/)
In Wyoming, the bust of the coal bed methane industry has left the state responsible for plugging thousands of wells, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars. Now, with both oil and natural gas prices in a slump, some are asking whether history is bound to repeat itself.
In 2012 the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health identified fracking sand as a potential health risk for oil and gas workers. Silicosis is a disease that can develop as a result of exposure to silica in sand. Some oil and gas companies have developed procedures to deal with fracking sand that improves safety conditions for workers.
For the first time, a study has found evidence of chemicals used in fracking natural gas wells in groundwater supplies. The contamination likely occurred before Pennsylvania strengthened its regulations around oil and gas drilling.
The oil downturn has impacted many small and independent oil and gas companies’ bottom lines. It has also created opportunity for venture capitalists from this country and from others – such as China and Mexico – to snap up oil field bargains. Lorne Matalon reports on Mexican investors who are eyeing deals in the Permian Basin of West Texas.
The federal government has released its first set of rules addressing fracking on public lands, and they’re already getting pushback—in Congress and in court.
When it comes to oil and gas drilling in urban and suburban areas, the question is often ‘how close is too close?’ That’s been the major point of contention in Wyoming, where the state’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is currently considering a rule to increase the setback distance between oil and gas wells and houses from 350 to 500 feet. Many homeowners would like it to be even further. But distance is only one part of the issue.
These days, with oil prices so low, producers are using below ground technology to chase oil thousands of feet below the earth’s surface. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.
InsideClimate News|A long-awaited EPA study on the impact of fracking on groundwater pollution will be released this spring. But the report is unlikely to provide a definitive answer on the question.
A coalition of law enforcement officials along with the oil and gas industry, called the Marcellus Shale Crimes Coalition, is keeping an eye on security issues around drilling sites.
